Bloody Consequences
by ZombieVampireAuthor
Summary: SEQUEL TO "The Spell of Love". Now that Harry and Draco are having a secret relationship they seperate for the summer. Yet Voldemort comes into the picture to get rid of Harry by using Draco. Now Draco will have to choose between Harry's life and his own.
1. Departure for Hell

"You don't deserve to live!" The harsh voice screamed as he snatched his wand.

Draco pushed up from the ground only to catch a glimpse of the man whipping around. His wand was pointed at the brunette nearby. "No!" He shouted desperately. He stumbled to his feet and charged at Harry who was caught in a frozen state of shock. Both the silver and golden eyes were wide as they watched the deadly bolt of power come flying straight at them, aimed at Harry's chest to forever stop his heart from its intense pounding…

…**.**

A couple months earlier…

"You're going to write, right?" Ron asked to the brunette as they stood patiently in line before the massive black train.

"Of course!" Harry said with a smile. "You, too. Right, Hermione?"

She nodded and gave Ron a fierce push on his arm. "You better not forget to write me again this summer."

"Okay! Sheesh…" Ron mumbled as he rubbed his arm and Harry chuckled.

"All aboard!" The voice echoed over the sea of kids.

As Harry and Ron picked up their bags to board the train, Harry couldn't help but look back into the crowd. His silver eyes searched for the hint of white that seemed invisible among the crowd. Yet, Ron shortly tapped his shoulder, urging him onto the train. Harry finally looked away from the crowd and hopped up the steps. With Hermione leading, they picked an empty cabin and slipped inside.

"Hey, Harry, shouldn't you be in the back cabin?" Hermione asked as she started to put her bag away. The space above the seats was too high and struggled. Yet, Ron took it from her and kindly put it away for her.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked as he climbed on the other seat to put his away. He stretched up to the open cupboard to slip his heavy suitcase inside, but a sharp pain in his lower back caused him to strain. To his surprise, Ron yanked it from his hands with a cold look and shoved it away.

"With _him_?" He asked with a strict tone.

Harry blushed slightly under his eyes at the fact that his soreness had been noticed. "I-I hung out with him the other day… I want to hang out with you guys, too."

"But you hung out with us yesterday," Hermione added, taking a seat on the left side of the cabin. "You can, like, alternate between us, you know. That way it's fair."

"If you want to be alone with Ron, just say so and I'll leave." Harry snickered.

Ron smirked and took a seat beside her as she started to ramble with embarrassment. "I can't believe you would even say that! It's so absurd! Like I would ever-!"

"Calm down, Hermione," Ron said, putting his arm around her. "We don't have to hide it." She scoffed and gave his arm another fierce shove, removing his arm from around her shoulders. Harry smiled and was about to sit down when a knock at the door echoed into the room.

"Hey," the white haired fiend said coolly with a nod of his head.

Harry hesitated slightly. "Draco."

Draco moved his eyes to the couple on the other side of the room from the brunette. He nodded simply again, saying quietly, "Granger. Weasley."

"Malfoy," Ron snorted while Hermione gave him a polite but uneasy, "Hello, Draco."

Draco hardly acknowledged their existence, including Ron's sharp glare, and faced the brunette. "Here," he said while tossing something to him. Harry caught the chocolate snack with surprise, quickly looking it over and back to the boy at the door. "I bought too many, so eat it."

"O-Okay…"

"Draco!" One of his friends complained from down the isle.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." He muttered and gave Harry a sly smile before disappearing from the doorway.

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat that had just appeared and slowly walked to the door. He glanced down the hall to see the white hair fading far down the isle. With a deep breath, he slowly closed the sliding door. He had always been nervous when Draco and his friends got near, but recently, every time he got close to Draco, his heart would race out of control. He was even panting slightly from it and was jumpy as ever. He stared at the sweet gift in his hand as he took a seat on the right side of the cabin. When he looked up and caught them staring silently, he flinched and stuttered.

"W-What?"

Hermione leaned forward a bit and said proudly, "Notice how he didn't have any other snacks in his hands?"

Harry ripped it open to distract him from his nervousness. "So what? He… probably left the rest back at his seat."

"True," Hermione said and leaned back against the seat. "But that trolley cart didn't go by too far, so he was obviously thinking of you when he bought 'too many' snacks." She smiled.

Harry shook his head and tore off a piece of the chocolate. "Whatever. Want some?"

"Sure." Hermione took a piece.

Ron, however, scowled when the chocolate was motioned to him. "No way," he spat. "He touched it. It's probably contaminated."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Ron."

"I said I would accept him. You never said I had to be nice to him."

Hermione groaned and stole another piece of the chocolate. "You're so stubborn." She shoved the piece in his face at which he turned away from. He scowled to the window silently for a minute, taking a few glances from Harry and the chocolate. Eventually, he snatched the piece for himself and quickly ate it. Hermione and Harry laughed at how he was acting like a stubborn child and knew that he meant no harm.

The ride was long and tiring with really nothing to do. They talked and laughed for an hour or two, then eventually ran out of things to say. Hermione read a book for a bit while Ron and Harry tried to play a card game, but that quickly got too boring. Soon, Hermione fell asleep on Ron's shoulder while Ron stared out the window. Harry read a newspaper he had bought from the trolley cart a while back, but was little interested in it. His eyes kept nervously glancing at the door where those golden eyes had been staring. His body was still a little jumpy and he felt too nervous to even think of sleeping.

He sighed after reading the same line ten times and set the paper down. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom," he whispered to not wake Hermione. He got the nod from Ron and slipped out the door quietly.

He passed by cabin after cabin, seeing open and closed doors, lights still on and lights off. He glanced out the nearest window and saw that the sun was just setting. They had left early morning and now the sky was a musky orange with a slight hint of blue arising from the nightly sky. It was late evening, getting to that point where everyone was nodding off to sleep. He passed through a few more rows of cabins before coming onto the next section of the train. The moment he came through the door, a voice came from beside him that nearly gave him a heart attack.

"About time," Draco said with a smirk and came off the wall with his arms crossed slyly. "I saw you walking down the isle when I was coming to get you. You walk really slow, you know that?"

"Shut up," Harry said quietly and rubbed his chest from his increased heart pace. "You scared the shit out of me, _you know that_?"

Draco smirked at the mocking and started to walk down the new isle. Harry quickly followed, walking happily beside him. "I thought you said you were gonna hang with the red head and that mud-…girl tonight?"

Harry was happy that he stopped himself from cursing his friends and gave him a shrug. "I needed to use the restroom, is all."

"Really?" Draco said with a slyly raised eyebrow. "Not to see me?"

"No." Harry muttered, his blushing slightly increasing.

"You passed three bathrooms on the way here."

"T-They were broken…"

"Liar," Draco laughed and shook his head slightly. "Face it." He snatched Harry's chin and made him look at him. "You wanted to see me."

Harry darted his eyes away and pulled his head away silently. Draco wrapped his arm around his waist and pulled the brunette's body closer. Harry's eyes widened as Draco ran his tongue up the nape of his neck. A cold shiver went washing down his body from it and he shuddered. He was about to pull away before Draco softly kissed his ear and whispered sexily, "Wanna get dirty again?"

Harry quickly whipped his body around, but Draco had his grip on him too tight and he was pulled up on his chest. "R-Really, is that all you think about?"

"Maybe." Draco leaned in, but Harry dropped his head so he kissed his forehead. "This is the last time I'll see you for three months. It's our last chance."

"Th-That's no excuse," Harry muttered. "Besides, we just did it the other day!" Harry tried to turn around to escape the warm arms, but Draco pulled him back, standing close behind him with his arms still wrapped around him.

"That's not soon enough."

Harry blushed and looked away again. "You want to do it on the train?" When Draco nodded, he jerked away. "N-No way. Someone will hear me!"

Draco pulled him back and kissed his cheek cutely. "Then you'll just have to keep your voice down."

"You-!" Harry shook his head and grabbed Draco's groping hands. "Y-You know I can't…"

"Please?" Draco asked in a low voice and ran his tongue across his ear.

_Oh no…_ Harry thought as he started to pant. Draco's hand squeezed through his shirt tight enough to grab his nipple and fondle it while his other hand rubbed the front of his jeans, slowly getting him hard. His body was already twitching and warm from earlier; now he was on the verge of losing control. His legs squirmed and his torso twitched with every slight shock of delight he received. "D-Draco, don't! Not h-here!"

Draco motioned his head down the isle. "There's a bathroom right there."

Harry stopped and allowed Draco to make him face him again. He let out a deep, shaky breath and said, "Fine. You're lucky, you know that!"

Draco started to drag the brunette the few paces to the end of the isle. "Good, 'cause I was gonna rape you whether you wanted to or not."

Harry stopped in the doorway of the bathroom as Draco opened the door. "No, you wouldn't!" He argued.

Yet, in a quick shove, Draco pinned Harry against the back wall. There was a devilish, teasing glint in his golden eyes as he smirked and said, "Try me."

Harry had refused the first kiss only slightly, since the door was still open. He relaxed, however, when it automatically closed and locked behind them. He closed his eyes and gave in to the hard kiss, opening his mouth to feel the touch of Draco's tongue. He used his own tongue to fight him off, to erotically fight for dominance, but Draco's tongue was stronger and slipped past his. It went deep into his mouth, licking over the roof of his mouth. Harry lost his strength immediately and he grunted. Draco pinned one of his wrists against the cold tile of the wall and slowly crawled his fingers up until their hands were connected. His other hand went between their tight bodies and to Harry's excited crotch. Harry winced in response, grunting into their messy kisses as Draco groped him hard. His free hand wrapped around his neck, drawing it closer so the kiss was deeper.

Draco separated their connected hands and undid Harry's shirt. He pulled away, panting and smiling while he exposed his chest. "You're already so hard." Harry blushed and ran his fingers salaciously through his white hair as he leaned his head down. "You better keep your voice down."

"Idiot, d-don't!" His cry was useless as Draco knelled down and placed soft kisses down his chest. He leaned into the wall tighter as he trailed down to his navel and unbuttoned his pants. Harry gasped, but smiled lightly when Draco undid his zipper with his teeth. "Hey," he laughed in a quiet whisper, "t-that's-"

He was interrupted with a gasp when Draco took him in head on. He hugged his waist and sucked almost immediately, showing how impatient he was in this situation. Harry grunted and grabbed his white hair between his shaking fingers in an attempt to control himself. An unbelievable pleasure pierced through him, making his stomach drop to his toes and causing him to moan. He quickly covered his mouth when his voice echoed around the tiny bathroom and rang in his ears. He felt Draco smile, then lick the tip of him profusely. He shuddered again and heard slight whimpers of pleasure escaping his lips. He covered his mouth tighter and dropped his head back against the wall, but he couldn't stop panting no matter how hard he tried.

"D-Draco!" He cried loudly and covered his mouth again. The white haired boy took all of him in his mouth in the next instant and bobbed his head to cause him to tremble harder. He choked down another cry and bent over his head to whisper. "Draco, n-no more. I-I'm gonna-ooh! Draco!"

Draco released him with a slight chuckle and tugged down his pants. He removed his underwear as well while he licked from the bottom of him straight to the tip, making him leak intensely. He stood back up, running his tongue over his nipple and pinching the other one to feel the brunette's body jerk before him. He started to kiss all over his neck, making Harry pant and groan erotically at every one.

"Th-This isn't g-going to work.." Harry panted with his mouth still slightly covered.

"Yes, it will," Draco said in a hushed voice as he licked his own fingers in his face to tease him.

"No," Harry argued weakly. "It's too small in here! There's no room for me to lay down."

Draco watched Harry jumped wildly and moan as he slipped his wet finger inside his entrance. He gripped Draco's robe tightly and trembled in his arms. "You don't need to lay down," he whispered onto his ear and clamped his teeth around the soft bottom, making him shudder with excitement.

Harry turned his head to him, muttering, "W-What are you…"

Draco connected their lips tightly, sucking and nibbling hard every chance he got. Harry drowned in the kiss and moved his head with him to make the kiss sweeter. Even though his hands were shaking, he popped Draco's shirt open and slid his hands down his hard, pale chest. When his hands came across the rim of his pants, he snapped open his belt and dropped his pants the best he could. Draco had been wiggling the tips of his fingers inside him merely to tease him. But as the brunette started to take control, he shoved both fingers quickly inside, making Harry buck his hips forward and groan hard in their kiss. His body trembled harder in his arms, causing Draco to rub him tightly inside.

Harry pulled away at the wave of shear, pure pleasure ripped through him instantly. "N-No more!" He panted and clutched onto his shoulders. Draco slipped his fingers easily in and out of his twitching hole that squeezed him so tight. He soon had created his own lewd liquid that made it easy to rub him harder, making Harry tense up and throw his head back against the wall. "W-We can't-"

"We can do it standing up," Draco said in a husky tone as he flipped him around.

Harry gasped as he was pushed against the wall, the cold tile tingling harshly against his bare chest. "W-What? That's n-not-" He shuddered hard with a lusty, choked cry of delight as Draco ran his hands down his body until he gripped his waist.

"Just relax," Draco whispered in his ear, giving Harry a hot feeling that made his stomach do flips of excitement.

In turn, he relaxed his body the best he could with his trembling nerves. With a quick thrust, Draco forced himself inside, stretching Harry harshly and squeezing himself tightly. Harry's body smacked against the wall and he moaned hard. He shoved his wrist in his mouth to force the cry down, but he still groaned the deeper Draco pushed himself inside. It was unbelievably tight, constricting around Draco as he came inside, and the heat was so intense, he truly believed he would melt. It hurt for Harry, the sharp pain ripping through his body in a fierce pinch. Yet, he got his body to relax and swallow up the pain completely, pushing it aside and numbing it.

"Oh, God," Harry gasped deeply in an erotic voice as Draco pulled him closer, moving inside him slightly.

Draco kissed him numerous times from the back of his shoulder to his neck and up to his ear. "I got you," he whispered passionately, pressing his body against his steaming back. "Are you okay?"

Harry panted, quickly getting his breath somewhat under his control to at least breath right. "Y-Yes…"

Draco smiled and pressed the brunette's body closer against the cool tile. "You better keep your voice down if you don't want to get caught," he warned in a low voice.

Harry's blush had turned into a flaming red all over his face and burned intensely as he looked back at the golden eyes over his shoulder. "I-It's not my f-fault-ahh!" He choked down a bit of the cry as Draco bucked his hips forward. The thrust jerked his body into the wall, sending a ripping feeling of lust throughout his entire body. He moaned into the wall and hid his face from the staring boy behind him. Harry clawed at the wall, letting Draco have the rest of his weak body to do as he pleased. Holding down his hips, he shoved himself inside deep only to pull it back quickly to the tip and push back inside even deeper. The tightness and slight bit of pain brought up such an amazing wave of pleasure that Harry thought he was going to lose his mind. His body bounced and grinded against the wall as Draco thrusted faster, sliding himself in and out harder than he could control.

Draco cupped Harry's shoulder, pulling his upper body tighter to him, digging in tighter down below. Harry dropped his head back on Draco's shoulder and moaned to the roof from the amazing feeling. Draco slipped his tongue in his open mouth, catching the brunette off guard, and kissed him hard. Harry brought his arm back and brought Draco's face close as they moved into a hot kiss. The lustful way Harry used his tongue to feel his teeth and sucked hard on his tongue made Draco get so aroused that he pinned Harry's waist against the wall and shoved inside him so deep that he hit his sweet spot. Harry jerked away instantly, crying out loudly in a lewd voice as a pure erotic feeling covered his whole body in goosebumps.

"Draco!" He cried and dug his fingers into his white hair in a harsh tug. "I-I can't!"

"I know," Draco said sexily as he thrusted faster inside him, rushing in and out of the surrounding heat.

The pleasure had been a tea kettle about to blow, building up to the very peak of their limits. They grinded faster and moaned harder the closer they got and soon came to the point where it burst. Harry scratched fiercely at the wall and clung to Draco tightly as he spurted his pleasure down below. Draco pinned Harry harshly into the wall, squeezing his waist firmly as he came inside him. Harry moaned with him as the hot liquid splashed around his insides in a split second.

They both slid weakly to the floor, Draco holding Harry in his arms as they caught their breath. They were caught between a sink and a small cabinet that made them laugh at what they had done. All in all, they kissed long and sweetly as their silent goodbye and embraced until night had fallen.

…**...**

Harry slipped back into the cabin, feeling a little weak in his knees as he sat down.

"A thirty minute bathroom break?" Ron asked in a low voice with a high sense of suspicion.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled and sat down with relief for his back.

"Were you sick?" He asked a bit louder. "Or did you go see him?"

Harry quickly lied, "Ron, all the bathrooms were broken. I had to use the one in the very back."

"Where Draco's cabin happens to be."

"Ron!"

Hermione squirmed on Ron's arm and stirred awake. "Hm… What? What's wrong?"

Ron stroked her long, dark hair and hushed her. "Nothing, just go back to sleep." He wrapped his jacket around her so she couldn't get cold and pulled her into his warm arms. Harry couldn't help but be jealous. Although he had already been held in a different way, he would've loved to sleep in Draco's arms through the night.

He quickly pushed the image out of his mind and laid down on the seat. "I'm going to sleep now," he said quietly. "I'm really tired."

"Yeah…" Ron's voice trailed off, obviously wanting to say more like, "I bet you would be," but he refrained from doing so. It's not that he hated Harry and Draco together, it just bugged him how Harry looked past how badly he had treated them over the years so easily. He didn't like Draco, nor did he trust him so easily as Harry and Hermione did. Yet, he loved Harry like a brother, so he was going to have to get used to it. He wasn't sure how long it would take, but he was going to take his damn time doing so. It was his own stubborn touch of being 'nice' and it made him smirk out the window as he watched the nightly sky take over, cloaking them in a musky dark shadow that concealed away all doubts and insecure feelings for the mean time.

…

Harry was excited about summer as much as any other kid, but he wasn't so thrilled about coming home-or what he called "home". The Dursley house was dully modern, but only Harry could feel the aura of dread wavering off it. He looked up at the house with a sense of regret, his expression saying, _Let's get this over with._ As the taxi left, Harry forced his limp hand to grab his suitcase and walk up the driveway. The porch light flickered on above him, making him glance up at it before turning the doorknob.

It was late evening, the sun had just lowered on the horizon, giving the sky a musky, calming glow. Harry had tried to sleep the train ride home and even the taxi ride back here, but nothing could settle his nerves. He wasn't happy about leaving. Especially since everything that had happened this year at Hogwarts. It was all normal, friends, enemies, classes, magic, ect. Until one night a foolish girl drugged him. When he escaped to his room, Draco was the one to find him. Harry remembered the kiss, the bed, the pain, the pleasure. He was suppose to forget, but he was so thankful that he didn't. Now he was dating his "enemy", his friends had accepted it, and all was well… Except for summer.

Yet, there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't see his friends over the summer, which meant he couldn't see Draco either. He survived three summers before, he could survive another one. He pushed through the door to the bright and warming family living room. Lights as beautiful as pure candles and furniture as natural as Mother Nature, herself greeted him. As he walked into the house further, opening the door a bit more, he saw the dining table set neatly like something out of a Perfect Family magazine. Food, silverware, drinks, all organized nicely to obviously make a good impression. He heard the cackling laughter of a woman coming from the kitchen.

Soon, Petunia Dursley, a tall, thin, and pale woman came strutting through the doorway of the kitchen. She had a slender neck and a long face, much resembling a horse, as Harry always thought. In her boney fingers was a bowl of fresh cut salad, which her large lips smiled proudly at. Yet, the smile fell the minute her colorless eyes landed on the brunette at the door. "Oh," she said weakly after being in mid-sentence from talking to someone in the other room. "Well…" She said in a hoarse whisper. "You're back…early." Harry simply nodded his head, having nothing to say.

"What were you saying, dear?" Vermon Dursely, the chubby troll-resembling man came waddling in. Unlike his wife, he had no neck, therefore he had rolls of skin not only in his chest, but all along the rest of his body. The sweater he was wearing was stretched out enough as it was, but as he saw Harry, he seemed to bloat with irritation at the sight. "You," he spat, looking him over with squinty dark eyes. "You weren't suppose to be back for another week."

Harry pulled in his suitcase and shut the door behind him loudly to show that he was as happy seeing them as they were to him. "We got out early…" He said simply.

At the sound of the slam of the door, rapid footsteps came drilling down the stairs. "Mother, mother, I heard the door shut. Are they here already-" Dudley stopped at the end of the stairs. He was the disappointing combination of the two parents. He was short, like his father, had the neck of his mother, and was a horrible, wide ball of nasty. He was stubby in shape and stubborn in personality. Harry had watched him grow into a spoiled brat who cared nothing more than what was in his hands and not a single drop of concern about who had given it to him. He had stopped abruptly upon seeing Harry and instantly scowled. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?" He asked coldly.

Harry uncomfortably looked around the room, not bothering to answer the pig's question. They were all dressed rather nicely, Petunia in a lovely, but distasteful flower dress, Vermon in a fancy dress shirt and the slimmest pants he could fit in without causing rolls, and even Dudley had a tucked in collar shirt with appropriate pants. Harry felt more out of place than usual. Not that he cared. He just hated everything, even the very air, around him. "Going somewhere?" he asked with a sharp hint of attitude, knowing that he might as well start the frustration since he knew he was going to receive it.

"No, actually," Vermon answered with that sly, annoying glint in his squinty eyes. "The new neighbors are coming over for dinner tonight since you weren't suppose to be home-"

"Ah, suck up to them before they find out your freaks. Nice plan." Harry snapped, pulling his suitcase past Dudley as he started for the stairs.

"You are to go to your room and-"

"Not make a sound. Make them think I'm dead. Yeah, yeah, I got it." Harry mumbled loud enough for them to hear and trudged up the stairs.

"And if you come down-"

"I won't!" Harry was thankful to have a door to block him out from the horrible people he called family downstairs. It was dark in his room, covering him in shadows. His stomach dropped as he leaned against his door, staring into the blackness through his steamed up glasses. He tore them off to clean them and could picture Ron and Hermione standing before him. If the room were bright, he could see their smiles glow and he would've felt instantly better. Yet, the hole in his chest wouldn't cease until the white haired boy was before him. He never thought seeing his face would make him happy, but it did and he desired it so badly that it almost hurt. They figures were blurry and Harry already knew they were fading. The minute he put his glasses back on, the empty room returned to his vision.

He forced his feet to move. He sauntered to the bedside where he kicked off his shoes and plopped down. He didn't bother to turn on his light. It was late anyway and he was exhausted enough. His head was spinning, his rear was sore, and his whole body felt weak. He dropped back down onto his bed, staring up at the blank ceiling above him. He hated it here and could feel time slowing purposely to tease him. As the darkness of the growing night sky started to swallow him, he felt his body growing heavier and his mind even weaker. Yet, as tired as he was, his silver eyes stared up at the ceiling, the blank wall with nothing-simply nothing within it. The more he stared, the more alone he felt and there was nothing he could do about it.

As if they were in the same room, the golden eyes stared up at a similar ceiling. It was as blank as the one before it, only lit up by a dim light, making shadows dance around the room like some kind of taunting movie. Draco stared as he pictured the brunette slowly turning onto his side in the dark room, curling up, and gently drifting off to sleep. He could imagine his soft face being pinched by his glasses and his brown hair covering his eyes and exposing his scar.

He let out an exhausted sigh from the picture. He was laying flat on his back on his bed with his arms crossed behind his head. Having just gotten home, he didn't bother to find anyone in the castle of a house and laid down. It's not like they were hosting a Welcome Home party for him. He had been staring at the ceiling for a good number of minutes when the feeling set in. A drifting feeling, like he was being pulled away from a life line that he desperately needed. He was always neutral about leaving Hogwarts for the summer, not really excited about going home, not really excited about staying at school. But now he had a reason to stay. It was the first time he couldn't reach something that was in arm's distance and he hated it.

A light knock at his door surprised him. He didn't even give the opening door a glance until it was completely open. The bright brays shimmered onto the bed, exposing him as he laid there silently in the dark room. A tall and fairly pale woman stood in the doorway. His mother was beautiful, but under her light eyes were bags of exhaustion and struggle. She was clearly labeled a burden, but she took all the love and strength she had as a mother and a woman and gave it to her son, bit by bit.

"Draco," she called softly with a pinned up smile. "Welcome home."

Draco sat up as she approached him and accepted the arms that slipped around him. The warmth from her bare arms was greater than normal, he realized, and it slightly concerned him. When she pulled away from the hug and sat quietly beside him, he saw drops of sweat on her temples. She was worried. Again. Draco's eyes hit her hands. Her slender fingers, which he had copies of on his own palms, were trembling slightly. She cupped her hands on the lap of her tight silk skirt to regain control.

"How was school?"

Draco remained silent for a while. She always asked useless questions which she never listened to when she was scared. Especially to Draco, to hide whatever she wanted when really she was causing a one-way mirror for Draco to see right through.

"A bloody hell, like always," he scoffed to regain her strength. He honestly hated seeing her in such a condition.

Some of the color returned in her face as she smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're home." Narcissa got to her feet and fixed her button-up as tight as physically possible black dress jacket. "I… was talking with your father," she said slowly as if Draco hadn't have known already. "He's a little upset from…work, so watch yourself around him… All right?" Draco nodded and watched an honest smile appear on her face. As long as she was happy, Draco could stand being home. It was just a necessary thing that he could barely admit to himself.

"Good," she said in such a hushed whisper than it was almost silent. She leaned down, touching his chin with the lightest of touch, like the gentle graze of a piece of gauze, and kissed his forehead. She held her lips on his bare skin for a long few seconds, letting her warmth match to his, and slowly drew away. Draco felt the drifting feeling return as his mother stood upright and strutted her way out of the room. She left the door open, leaving Draco sitting in a bright square of light that stretched all the way across his room. The kiss had left him almost numb and he tried to shake it off.

He pushed to his feet and passed through the doorway, which was much like passing from one world to another. He instantly put on a blank, harsh face, like a mask he constantly had on, and walked in a fierce motion, like something infuriating was on his mind and was going to deal with it in the fiercest way he could. This was the Draco Malfoy that everyone saw, but no one really _knew_ exactly who he was. This was his disguise, the way he wanted people to see him. So people wouldn't mess with him. So people would respect him. So people would look up to him and fear whatever he had in mind. Just like his father.

His father. Draco stopped immediately as a crash echoed around the hall. It was a loud echo that stretched all the way down the dark hall with a harsh _smack_! A shrill shout followed the crash; feminine and frightened. Draco instantly pictured Narcissa and whipped around. He charged down the hall as fast as he could, wrinkling the perfect black rug that lined the entire hallway floor. He snapped around the corner to find the hallway lit up and silent. In the pitch blackness of the hallway, the first door on the left was just opened in the slightest crack, wide enough for a thin ray of light to pierce the darkness in the hall. Draco stopped at the silence, his heart thudding hard in his chest with concern. Then he stomped to the door and was about to yank it open, before she talked.

"What's the worse that could happen?" The feminine voice said smoothly. It was a pitchy voice, like a nail being scratched on a rock-sharp and flowing smoothly with a sense of tease all around it. It wasn't his mother. He knew this voice and he despised it. The fact that _she_ was here sent chills running up Draco's back.

Yet, he was relieve and breathed a bit easier. His mother was fine. The scream he heard was just _her_ twisted way of laughing. And the crash was probably something she threw across the room to entice someone else in the room. Still, although he knew everything was fine, he still worried above his limit. He hovered by the cracked open door, listening to the voices that bounced off each other.

"_He_ could kill him." This voice was masculine, a fierce voice that spoke low and stern to provide strength and insert fear with every syllable. His father.

"Oh, come now," Bellatrix said and by the rising tone of her voice, Draco could tell she was smiling. The clicks of her black boots echoed as she approached the man. "You knew he was going to get involved the minute he was born-"

"Yes, but nothing like this." Luicius snapped. His voice bounced which meant he jerked his head forward and the click of Bellatrix's heels meant she backed off.

There was pause and Draco could picture the two people staring intensely. Most likely around a table full of papers and instruments that Draco was never allowed to know about. There was probably a wide bookcase behind them and cabinets for the safe keeping of dark things. Things like what? Draco wasn't exactly sure, but even from outside the door he could feel the cruel aura wavering off, chilling his very skin into that of a goose's.

Then she spoke with that smooth, flowing tone of hers that made everyone scowl at from its playfulness. "Working for the Dark Lord… is a blessing, is it not?" Her heels echoed in the dark hallway as she slowly strutted across the room, most likely dragging her dark nails across the surface of the glass table. "He should be happy… serving _him_."

"Yes, but this is-"

"Yes!" She copied him in an instant. She whirled around and started rushing back to him a fast paced strut. "You agree! Which means he will gladly follow in your footsteps, will he not?" Her voice turned sharp and fierce as she spoke quicker, harsher. "He **will** do everything _He_ says and won't question it, just like you have over the years. Which means he should be able to do this job without a sweat. Just. Like. You."

"This **job**," his father spoke in a harsher tone than hers, "is something I would do."

"Precisely," she said proudly.

"Not something for a child!"

That's when Draco flinched. They were talking about… No, they couldn't be. He was suppose to do something… for _Him_? But…

Bellatrix started to laugh. It was a mild giggle at first, quiet and trying to be held inside. Yet, she opened her mouth and the cackling laugh turned sinister and cold in a snap. It echoed around the room and loudly into the hall, surrounding Draco as if she were mocking him. "The Dark lord can't kill him!" She said in a deep inhale as she caught her breath. "Not yet… _He_ needs him like _He_ needs you and me. Draco will be a good use to _Him_."

"My son has already failed him once. What's stopping him from failing him again? The Dark lord will not take another mistake without some sort of punishment!"

"Exactly," she said with that lingering tone of hers. The way she spoke was irritating, her pitch rising with her eyebrows, giving her pale face a surprised, but well-known and well-played look. "So… When _He_ comes here **for good**… He will be under _His_ watch and Draco will not make another mistake."

There was a pause that frightened Draco. His father was thinking it over, recalling his son's mistaking on befriending the enemy. Draco seemed to be breathing harder since it became a struggle to keep his breath quiet. Then, ever so slowly, his father responded. "Fine…"

Draco started to back away from the door, but he only reached a step away before his muscles froze. He was shocked. He could feel that cold aura wrapping around him like a menacing blanket and locking around him tightly, forever trapping him in his worst nightmare.

Run, a voice in the back of his mind said. Run and don't look back. But then his name ran through his head. Draco Malfoy. **Malfoy.** He was Draco Malfoy, son of Luicius and Narcissa Malfoy, living in Malfoy Manor. The Malfoys had always served the Dark lord, but he couldn't… couldn't possibly…

Harry Potter was the next name to run through his mind. His heart skipped a beat, making him breath unevenly and finally hold his breath in from fear. He could picture the brunette smiling as he passed him in the Hogwart's hall. Nowadays, he had met Harry's gaze with a sly smile. It was such a gaze that made their heads turn as they kept it locked until they either ran into something or were forced to look away. Before, however, whenever they passed each other, the smile would fall and the silver eyes would fade into a mild glare at which Draco return fiercely. That was the way… things were suppose to be. If he were to act like that… To obey orders that made those silver eyes fade… He wouldn't stand it!

Suddenly the door was yanked open and Draco was caught in a bright square of light in the doorway. Before him was none other than Bellatrix Lestrange, a short woman with glossy black hair, like liquid ebony, that hung in wicked strands as if they were tiny snakes. She was dressed entirely in black, a long dress that trained on the ground with cobwebbed designs and tattered edges. Her slender body made her seem enticing along with her pale, never ending eyes. Staring into the wide circles made Draco seem hypnotized and caught in her web. She was the Queen Spider, wrapping him in her web merely with her teasing smile, and was prepared to bite his head off whenever she pleased.

Behind her Draco could see his father, tall and looming with a black face. His empty but fierce expression also scared him. His dark eyes were narrowed and glaring at his son from a distance at the queer angle. Draco swallowed the lump in his throat with a great deal of struggle and finally breathed.

"Draco…" The shrill voice called him. His eyes darted back to the witch before him. She kneeled down, though she didn't have to go far to meet his gaze equally, and put her hands on her knees for support. She stared him straight in his golden eyes, completely pulling him in her trap. "I have a special job for you…"

**The first chapter is here! Finally! Sorry it's a little later than I promised but here it is! I hope it's good. The first chapter always seems to be the longest, but we'll have to see! Review and tell me what you think. Second chapter coming soon!**


	2. Hell is Hell

_**Harry,**_

_**Bloody hell! It's bloody annoying having such a big family. Ginny won't shut up about something utterly ridiculous and George and Fred have gone on a Pranking Extravaganza! Last Tuesday, they used some trick that sent a ghost cat running before my feet and I almost broke my ankle falling down the stairs! They laughed for the rest of the week, but mother was royally pissed. They had to do the rest of the chores that I had to do, but they had fun while doing it, breaking plates and sending clothes flying around the house. Also, Hermione sent me three letters before I could even respond to her first one. I sent you one first just to tick her off. If I can live with this, you can live with what's under your roof. See ya soon.**_

_**Ron**_

_Harry,_

_It's so good to hear from both you and Ron! He's being stubborn with letters and makes me irritated, but you're always so willing to write. I hope everything is all right over there. Everything here is swell. Mother and Father are taking me out to dinner tomorrow night as another congratulations from coming home. But I really miss you two. I can't wait until the school year starts again. Summer is too slow. Sincerely yours._

_Love, Hermione_

Harry smiled at the letters. It was always nice to hear from them. Every time he woke up and felt a good deal of dread from the family downstairs, it was all washed away when he found two letters at the door. It gave him a new feeling, a warm sensation that gave him an honest smile for the rest of the day. Even if life here wasn't so great, he was still loved and although it was a good distance away, he would see them again-along with that earnest, refreshing feeling that made him so happy it was as if it was all a nightmare.

"Harry!" The shrill, hoarse voice called from another room. "Where is that mail?"

"Coming!" He shouted wearily. He shoved the two letters deep in his back pocket for safe keeping and picked up the rest of the mail he had no interest for. He carried it back to the modern but stylish dining room and threw the bills on the table. "Here."

"About time." The pig known as Vermon snorted.

Harry rolled his eyes and went into the kitchen, pausing to step aside for the horse known as Petunia to get through first.

"And hurry up with our breakfast!" Dudley, the spoiled brat, cried annoyingly, appearing from the living room.

Harry scowled as his chubby face smirked in his own. "It's coming." Dudley purposely bumped his shoulder as he shoved past him, making Harry let out a deep breath to keep his cool.

Life was so much better than this at school. The people he saw, good and bad, were much more thrilling than these people. Every word they said were like nails on a chalkboard to him and every moment they made, every glance, or rise of the eyebrow was like a slap to his face. He would never be happy here. The only time he was remotely close to being happy was when these horrid people left. They did it in spite, too, and Harry knew it well. They would show off their enjoyment in front of Harry only to leave him behind. He preferred it that way, but wouldn't say a word of it to them. Even as he recalled this, he was busy cooking in the kitchen when he got another perfect example.

"Dudley, honey," Petunia called in a shrill, irritating voice. "Come here a moment." He obeyed, ungluing his eyes from the television set for once and seating himself at the table beside his mother. She pulled his chair closer as he sat down and put a boney arm around him. "What do you want to do today?"

Dudley raised his dark eyes to the ceiling dumbly as he thought about the simple question. "There's a movie marathon on at nine."

Vermon dropped the newspaper to meet his wife's blank stare. She smiled back to her son and gave Harry a quick, foul glance. "How would you like… to go to that new amusement park?"

His eyes glazed over with excitement. "Are you serious?"

"One just opened up a few towns over," Vermon explained from behind his newspaper. "If we leave right after breakfast we could make it there by noon."

Harry rolled his eyes as Dudley almost fell out of his chair from his wild reaction. "I can't believe it! I can't believe it! We're really going!"

"Of course, Harry," Petunia spat viciously with a smile, "you'll have to stay. We can't have the house looking like this when we return."

"Yes ma'am," Harry forced out between tight lips.

Harry tuned them out as they started to brag about all the rides, all the food, all the fun they were going to have without him. He had learned to do that very quickly. He gave himself other things to think about wile he worked. He thought about Hogwarts, of course, and all his friends. What Ron was possibly doing to deal with Ginny's rambling and his brothers' pranks. What Hermione was doing with her parents at their family dinner night. What Draco was doing and if he had given him a second thought since school ended.

As he concealed his anger away and put his effort into the work, he started working at his usual, steady pace. He flipped the pancakes, pumped the orange juice by hand, scrambled the eggs and made some over easy. He buttered the toast and had to throw away one he burnt, set the table so it was perfect the way they wanted, and piled on the food as if he were feeding a bunch of animals, which, to him, he was. He stole a piece of toast and the extra eggs for himself which he ate in his room while he got out a piece of paper and ink to respond to the letters. As soon as he finished eating and got everything set up, his name echoed up the stairs and he dropped everything he was doing.

He cleaned up the plates, cups, and silverware as the family left and tossed them in the sink, threw away used napkins and scraps, cleaned off the table and washed it. He pushed in all the chairs, dried the table, and started on the dishes, washing every single one while the numbers seemed to grow the more he worked on them. After that, he collected all the dirty laundry, gagging on the smell of Vermon's rotten and fungus growing clothes, and shoved them into the washing machine. He dusted all around the house, spit shined all the family portraits and collectables, vacuumed every room in the house, and finally put away the clean dishes. He trudged up to his room one more time and grabbed his feather pen. Right as he began to write on the letter, the buzzer for the washer went off downstairs. He groaned loud enough to disturb Hedwig, his pet Snowy owl, and had to apologize.

He went back downstairs and exchanged the clothes from the washer to the dryer. He then had to go to all the rooms, change all the sheets and fluff all the pillows. He cleaned both toilets in the house, brought in fresh towels, and put the dirty ones in the washer. He had to clean Dudley's room, which he always hated more than the rest of the chores. The brat wouldn't clean his room even if Harry wasn't there to pick it up, but he made it an even larger pig's style specifically for him. Clothes scattered everywhere, scraps of food covered the floor, and mold was practically growing on everything. Harry had to pick it all up, no matter how much he detested it. If he skipped out on a single chore, he wouldn't get some of the dinner that he would have to cook.

By then he had to put the wet clothes in the dryer and fold the dry clothes. Once he had put those away in the right drawer in the right room, it was time for the next load. It was amazing how fast time was flying. One of the reasons he hardly noticed was because his mind was elsewhere. He always imagined Hogwarts, things he learned in class and the crazy things he did with his friends. He was picturing Hermione slapping Ron's arm from something he said; Ron complaining and asking Harry to take his side in which he backed away from.

"No way, man," Harry remembered laughing. He waved his hands and shook his head. "I'm not getting involved with you two."

"Aw, c'mon, Harry! You're suppose to back me up!"

"Well, Harry knows I'm right." Hermione had said with a smile.

Ron had scoffed. "If you're right then I'm bloody insane."

"Then you're crazy, Ron, 'cause she's right."

"I told you."

"Seriously? You're bloody joking!"

Harry smiled at the memory and how his friends acted. He loved it all. Even when they were making fun of him for something stupid he did in class, he loved the way they laughed, smiled, and joked with him. He loved how Ron would mess up on a spell and Hermione would flirt as she tried to show him how to fix it. It made them feel like a family, like the one thing he always desired, but could never grasp.

The next load in the dryer went off and made him jolt out of the memory. He folded those clothes and put them away with the others. He started dinner by boiling water and peeling potatoes. He pulled out fresh cut steaks to thaw out and warmed up some peas. It was slow cooking, so he could take his time and he occasionally caught himself staring out the window of the kitchen. The sun was gone, but the moon wasn't up, a beautiful sight that Harry couldn't resist. It wasn't exactly day, but not quite night either. The sky was a solid grey color, mixed between dark orange and dark blue, blending perfectly in one calm stroke of an artist's brush that covered the entire sky.

The last time he was staring at such a sight, he was in the Slitherin Dorms after just waking up. He was leaned on the windowsill from the green and white bed, naked from the waist and up due to the blankets wrapped around his hips. Two cold hands slid around his body like a constricting snake and pulled him into a warm embrace. Harry smiled at the chin that rested on his shoulder and the golden eyes that they held. His smooth hair was dangling in his face, the white strands like silver in the dim dawn light.

"Can't sleep?" Draco asked in a tired whisper.

Harry slowly shook his head. "I guess…. Just woke up. Didn't bother to try."

Draco thought on the response and pulled him closer, eliminating the space between their bodies entirely. "Do we need another bondage session to help with that?"

Harry gasped slightly, then laughed as Draco placed several kisses all over his ear and cheek. "No!" He said with an earnest smile.

Draco sighed and dropped back down on the bed. "Fine…" He glanced at the brunette in his window who continued to stare at the glimmering sky. He then traced a single finger up and down his spine, lightly and slowly. He grabbed the very ends of his auburn brown hair, twisting them between his fingertips to feel the very softness they held. Harry felt a tingle go down his back and he turned to the white haired boy laying behind him. He crouched down low and rested upon his chest, letting one of Draco's pale arms wrap around his back. "What's wrong?" Draco asked when Harry settled down his head on his shoulder.

Harry remembered pausing, not wanting to answer but feeling the desperate need to. "Summer break is in a few days…"

"And?" Draco felt Harry wince when he asked the question.

"I won't see you for three months…" Harry fell into the silence weakly until he started to bounce from Draco's slight chuckles. "What are you laughing at?"

Draco pulled his head up before Harry could sit up in frustration. Draco kept their faces close and ran his finger through the beautiful brown locks. "I'm not going to leave you," he said, solemnly. "Remember? I promised you that." The long lashes dropped over the silvers eyes in a narrow gaze. Draco smirked and rolled his eyes. "Okay, I broke it once, but that was for good reason." He leaned Harry's head down so their foreheads gently touched and he melted his golden gaze into the silver ones he loved so much. "I won't let three months separate us… All right?"

Harry closed his eyes and let Draco's sweet words wrap around him, surround him in such a comforting blanket that he suddenly didn't feel worried anymore. Draco's word were the only thing he needed; they made him feel safe, warm, and at his place. He loved those words and always longed for them. They soon became a desire, just to hear him speak, and such sweet words always trapped him in those golden cages for as long as he wanted.

"I love you, Harry." Draco said in a soft whisper. The kiss that followed after those sugar coated words was so gentle and so mesmerizing that Harry refused to let go. He had snatched his hands around Draco's neck and kissed him back as much as he could, never wanting to leave, never wanting to fall.

Harry was touching his lips, remembering the sweet kiss along with those honey-kissed words echoing in his head when the Dursleys returned home. He quickly jumped off the counter he was sitting on and finished up the last bit of the food. The steaks were still a little pink, so he poured more sauce on them and let them simmer. The peas were done so he turned off the stove and got to mashing the potatoes. As he cooked and aligned the food on the plates for the savage beasts entering the room, he couldn't help but think how skillful he had gotten in cooking over the years. If he were a girl, he would probably make a good housewife. The idea made him flush a bright red in the cheeks and he quickly pushed away the image in his head.

"Well," Vermon sighed as he examined the house. The rest of the pack followed behind him, also examining the rest of the results he had done. "It looks… okay. Could be better," he spat with a chuckle. "Work harder next time. This will never impress the neighbors."

Harry clenched his hand into a fist at his side as he set the plates. "Yes, sir…"

If only he could leave. Harry wished to be seventeen so he could use magic to zip their mouths shut. To stop the orders, the insults, the useless words being hissed at him every second. If he lived in a better world, he could run away and start a new life away from these people forever, but that couldn't happen for at least another month. This was to be his last summer with the Dursely's and the most horrible one at that. After he turned seventeen and returned to Hogwarts, he would never return here again.

He gave the pigs their slop and snuck some food up to his room. He finally shut the door and locked it, refusing to come out even if they ordered him to for some reason. He collapsed on the bed and pushed the plate of food away. He was too tired to eat. This was how he spent his days, cleaning until time stopped and the family returned. His body ached right down to his bones and his limbs felt too numb to move. Yet, the memory of his friends pushed him to his feet. He crawled over to his desk, flicked on the lamp over the papers, and sat down with a sigh. Hedwig cried quietly to get his attention in which he stuck a finger through the cage and scratched her neck. He picked up the feather pen and after thinking tiredly for a minute, he began to write.

_Ron,_

_Good luck with Ginny. Maybe you can have George or Fred cast a spell on a piece of candy that you can give her to shut her up. And if you think carefully, you can get your brothers back with one of their own pranks. Watch what you're doing and don't hurt yourself because Hermione will more upset then your mother. Over here, I can't avoid the torture. They come and go and I clean up after them. I honestly feel like a bloody maid. But it'll all be worth it when I turn seventeen. The day I get out of here will be the happiest day of my life. Well, until then._

_Harry_

_Hermione,_

_Your family sounds sweet. I'm glad you're enjoying your time with them. Plus, you shouldn't fret about Ron; you know how lazy he can get. Everything here is as peachy as always, running and cleaning, but I don't mind. Hell is hell and I'll get out of it some day. I miss you as much as Ron and the others and can't wait until school starts. Sincerely yours._

_Harry_

As he folded up the letters nicely and closed the envelopes, a third paper was revealed under the others. He must've grabbed an extra one by accident earlier. His hand stopped mid-way of putting the paper back. Draco ran through his mind and he thought if writing a letter to him would be nice. He missed him like crazy and would love to hear from him as much as he liked to hear from his other friends. But then again, Malfoy Manor was a dangerous place. They were in a secrete relationship. If his father or mother was to find the letter without him knowing, all hell would break loose!

Still, he couldn't stop the pen from being dipped in ink and starting to scratch on the paper:

**Draco,**

**It's been a week and I'm already sick of home. I hope your break is going better than mine… Things suck here and are going like usually… Except I keep having this dream where I'm back at school, but for some reason it's falling apart and I need to get out so I'm running up the stairs to the potion floor of the school. When I reach the top, I find you there. I remember hugging you and then everything seems fine. It reminds me that the only place I really feel safe and happy is with you. So that's why my break sucks and that I need to see you, like, now. Anyway, when I turn seventeen, I'm sure something will work out. I miss Ron and Hermione a lot, but I can't shake you from my mind. So, come see me soon, okay?**

**Love, Harry**

Harry felt his face burn as he finished writing the letter. He suddenly wished he wrote in pencil so he could erase just about everything he wrote. He felt so girly saying he missed him and he even signed it with Love! He quickly tore off his glasses and rubbed his tired face. What was he doing? He couldn't send this. There was no possible way! Even if there was, the things he wrote were far too embarrassing for even Hedwig to see. Yet, something was itching at him to send it. He asked himself why, but he already knew the answer. If he could have the slightest, the thinnest chance of hearing from the boy he loved, he would grasp it without hesitating. Still… It was impossible.

Sadly, he put the paper away. He couldn't write to him. As much as he wanted, he would have to wait. He remembered Draco's words, those sweet, addicting words that promised him they would stay together. He never thought going to summer break would hurt this much. It hurt leaving his magical home and friends, but now the pain was doubled now that he had a lover. He felt his heart hit his stomach as he put the letter away on top of a stack of papers and books on his desk.

He flicked off the lamp, petted Hedwig, put the plate of food on the desk, and set his glasses down on the bedside table by his pillow. He stripped off his shirt and pants until he was only in his underwear and he climbed into bed. He always had trouble sleeping here so he expected the few hours that ticked by while he lay wide awake. He stared at the blurry ceiling that was covered in shadows, patiently waiting for those shadows to engulf him and drag him away from reality and into the world of dreams. Usually, he felt sick to his stomach or just plain upset at this fact, not being able to sleep, but tonight he didn't seem to mind. As he lay there waiting, he kept picturing the bleach-blonde hair that resembled beautiful snow and the perfect golden crystals of eyes. He imagined the eyes gazing at him from beside him and the stands of white hair dangling in is face. He imagined the cool touch of Draco's palm gently grazing his cheek like he always did and pushed the hair out of Harry's bare face. Even though he was practically blind, he could see Draco perfectly beside him, stroking his hair, gazing at him, pulling him close, hugging him, and even kissing him. Light, butterfly kisses that just barely grazed the surface of his lips, enough to send him chills all along his limbs. He loved it. He loved every second of it. He loved him.

Before he knew it, he was asleep, smiling at the thought of his lover beside him.

**Finally done. Sorry, these chapters will be produced slower than The Spell of Love's chapters. They need to be detailed specifically so I hope they aren't bad xP Review and tell me what you think! Hope it's good. Chapter 3 coming soon.**


	3. Creating Hell

"What?" Draco jumped to his feet as the shout echoed around the room. He hovered over his concerned mother. She gazed up at him with concerned eyes, praying for an understanding. Draco's golden eyes gleamed a fierce yellow, like a raging flame.

"We serve him, Draco," Narcissa said softly.

Draco whipped away, crawling his hands through his white hair and tugging hard in frustration. "But he has to come _here_? Here of all places?"

"The Dark Lord is inevitable. We do as he says as we have always done over the years. Our house is open to him as it is open to you."

"No." Draco shook his head, refusing to understand. He turned away from his mother again and shook his head more. "No, I won't have it."

"There's nothing we can do, Draco."

"When?" He asked sharply, still having his back to her.

Narcissa stood and carefully looked over her son. The boy had gotten taller since he had returned from school and she was just noticing. It was sign of growing up, a sign she didn't wish to see, but had to face. He was growing more mature, stronger, and more stubborn.

"When?" Draco asked again in a louder, more frantic voice.

"Any day now." Narcissa said, having to close her eyes to force out the words. "But your father says it will be a while until he shows up. Still… It means we…." She choked on her own words and Draco slowly faced her. "We can't acknowledge the fact of your inheritance next week…" Narcissa covered her mouth with the back of her slender fingers and turned away. Her eyes were wet and her throat was tight, obvious signs of breaking down.

Draco stopped. His tight nerves relaxed and he let out a deep, silent breath to cool down. He was expecting some kind of celebration for getting his inheritance on his birthday next week, but now he honestly didn't care. Their house, and the very brink of their family, had become a ticking time bomb. Something silly like a party for his birthday was out of the question. It hurt, being pushed aside _yet again_, but seeing his mother like this was worse than that pain.

"I don't care about that," he said between tight lips and looked away when his mother tried to return their gaze. "I just… don't wanna see him…"

Narcissa quickly stepped over and wrapped him in her arms. "I'm sorry, Draco…" She said in a hoarse whisper. Draco merely stood there as his mother apologized again and again for all that was happening. When she released him, he pushed his hair out of his face and exposed that rigid, won't-be-broken-look. Her eyes darkened, her faith returning in her son. "You can leave," she said and watched his eyes widen slightly in surprise. "For your birthday and any day after that, you may leave. Go with your friends, anywhere but here."

Now Draco understood. His mother was as terrified as him. He choked down the slight fear in his throat and nodded. "But," his mother continued, "if… if you are called back here… You have to come back… All right?"

"Yes, mother." He said solemnly and closed his eyes when she kissed him on the forehead. Once again, a soft and warm feeling wrapped around, comforting him with security and… a feeling he couldn't describe. He wasn't happy, but he was… more like accepting something that he needed. Comfort, he guessed.

He left the confided room after that, letting his mother stand in the darkness alone. Out in the hall, he spotted the row of three boys, all impatiently waiting for his meeting to end. Crabbe was on the right and Goyle was in the middle, the two people he was always stuck with. Yet, on the left was someone he hardly seen. Even thought Blaise was suddenly there, having shown up while he was talking with his mother, Draco didn't bother to question his appearance. He immediately stomr past the boys, knowing they would follow without questioning.

"So," Goyle snickered, "what did your _mommy_ have to say to you-"

Before he could finish his question, Draco snatch him by the collar and shoved the heavy weight fiend into the nearest wall. He did it with one hand, one shove, and he didn't even meet the pig's eyes. "None of your bloody business!" He spat angrily and stormed faster away from them as if to get away from them for good.

"Did she say anything about next week?" Crabbe asked cautiously, keeping his words in line to not piss off the steaming white haired boy.

"Yes," Draco hissed and fixed his robe irritatingly. "Nothing's happening?"

"What?" Crabbe asked while he helped Goyle get to his feet and catch up to them. "Why not?"

"I don't want one," he lied and purposely turned to corner to a dead end.

"That's bullshit." Goyle said between rough pants and rubbed his sore shoulders. "We've been talking about causing hell on your birthday for weeks!"

Draco stopped abruptly, getting in both Crabbe's and Goyle's face fiercely. "Well, that's changed! Some things are more important…" His eyes glanced to Blaise uneasily. He hadn't said a single word since he showed up and the rock-hard, blank expression he held was unnerving to Draco. He whipped away and waved his hand in the air from frustration. "Get the hell out of here."

"What?"

Draco stopped ahead of them and pointed to the door at the end of the hall. "Out! I don't wanna see any more of your fugly faces!" It wasn't anything against his two 'friends', but he wasn't in the mood for their foolish talk. He couldn't think straight about everything that was happening; his inheritance coming up, having to face the Dark Lord, not seeing Harry, and what the horrible result would be if all things clashed together somehow. Plus, the way Blaise was looking at him made him feel like he was looking right through him.

He watched Crabbe and Goyle slump by with confusion and irritation, but, to his surprise, Blaise didn't move. Draco met his gaze fiercely to show that he wasn't in the mood for playing games, but once again the dark brown eyes captured him in a state of guilt and it made him even more frustrated. Yet, before he could yell again, Blaise approached him.

"It's about _Him_, isn't it?" Blaise said with a voice like smooth velvet.

Draco flinched, his first thought appearing on the brunette in the back of his mind. "What?" He asked with an unsteady voice.

Blaise glanced down at his arm and just gently pushed Draco's sleeve up. Draco followed where he was staring at and caught notice of the bandage wrapped around him forearm. Under the white cloth was the symbol, or the curse mark, of the Dark Lord; the deathly skull and cross bones being wrapped and constricted by a hissing snake. He had covered the mark ever since he received it. People questioned it, but he refused to remove the bandages. He hated to admit it, but he was ashamed. He couldn't live with being a servant and that mark was the absolute proof. But he was still hiding it.

Draco pulled his sleeve back down and glared harshly at Blaise. He was a tall boy with dark skin and hardly any hair. He wasn't really bad nor good, he gave off no actual presence of either, but he was cruel at times and belonged in Slitherin, that's why he was beside Draco. Draco knew he didn't respect him and wouldn't be a lackey like the others, but he was still around and he was unsure why. He was usually quiet, but the way he stood now, with his head held high like some African King and his dark eyes piercing like knives through him, was very unsettling to him.

"_He_'s not something you should mess with," Blaise added and Draco relaxed a bit when he realized he was talking about the Dark Lord.

"What should you know about it?" Draco spat in a low tone, speaking under his breath.

Blaise shrugged in that professional way and snapped his robe casually as if rubbing in his face that he was neutral and not frightened by something like this. "I've been around the table once or twice," he said slowly. "And it's pretty obvious that standing in the way of something like that will get you killed. So why you gonna hide out here?"

Draco narrowed his eyes at him in a sharp glare. "Who says I'm hiding?"

"I do." Blaise shot back, coming back at him with just the same amount of fierceness in his tone. His dark eyes glanced behind Draco, then back at his irritated yellow ones. "The Draco Malfoy we know wouldn't miss out on a chance to create some hell. So who the hell are you?"

Draco slowly smirked. He was playing with him, a top-notch game that Slitherins seemed to like. He spotted Draco weakening and was trying to stand up to him like he was looking down on him, as if he was some stupid Hufflepuff. Draco shook his head just the slightest bit and whispered, "Pussy."

Something flickered in Blaise's eyes and he finally looked away from his sharp glare. Draco shook his head pathetically and glanced behind him. Crabbe and Goyle stood in front of the door, never having left since Blaise had spoken up. He saw the surprise and desperate look on their faces and Draco suddenly felt superior then them-then **all** of them.

"Well, if you guys are so _eager_ to create some hell, then let's do it tonight." He gave Blaise's shoulder a shove and challenged him with a tense glare. "You're seventeen, aren't you, Blaise? You can use magic off of school grounds so let's go have some fun. Huh, what do you say?"

Blaise was clearly irritated. He stayed silent and gave a few nervous glances back and forth between Crabbe and Goyle in the back of the room and Draco directly in front of him. Draco shrugged and turned around to the boys behind him. "Well, if you're _scared_, we don't _have_ to. It's just…you know, _I'm_ not someone you should mess with very kindly." He purposely pulled up his sleeve behind his back to flash the bandage at Blaise again, merely to taunt him. "Right, Blaise?"

The sight of the bandage brought a different feeling to Blaise this time. He first used it against Draco to scare him, but now Draco was using it against him. He was practically threatening him with it. He came from a powerful family who served the Dark Lord. Draco wasn't stupid and he could even cooperate with the Dark Lord himself and that would be even worse than hell for Blaise. He was suddenly frightened by the sight of Draco, knowing the power he held and that maybe he wasn't so scared of it. Even though he was so thick shelled, he wasn't going to mess with something as powerful as that.

"I'll do it," Blaise said after a long pause.

Draco smirked at the words and pulled his sleeve back down. "Then let's go."

Crabbe and Goyle cheered and gave each other a quick high-five at the news. They were out the door in seconds, leaving it open for Draco and Blaise. The white haired fiend watched as the dark knight walked by him cautiously, but slightly unafraid. Before he passed, Blaise lowered down a bit to get in Draco's face and said, "It's all right to be afraid sometimes. You can follow it, you know."

Draco didn't respond. He refused any kind of reaction to come from the words. He held Blaise's gaze until he turned away and exited through the door. Draco paused for a moment, letting the words sink in and wondered just exactly what he meant by them. Then he silently shook he uneasy feeling away and followed them.

It wasn't long before the boys were out in the Muggle City, terrorizing about everything they could. They had no specific target, really; it was anyone who had the unlucky chance to walk by them. They sat on the roof of the tallest building in the town and gazed down at the pathetic humans. They were laughing hysterically, pointing at their next victim and trying to breathe.

"That one! That one!" Goyle said between pants for breath and pointed to a man on the sidewalk. He was in his mid forties and was carrying a bag of groceries.

"Okay, what should I do?" Blaise asked, rubbing his wand excitedly as he looked down on his target.

"The hair one! Do 'Calvario'!" Crabbe cried.

Goyle argued. "No, no, that'll be stupid. Try the other one, the one that-"

"No, 'Calvario'!"

Blaise snapped his head back from peering over the edge. "Hurry up! He's going to get out of range."

"Just do the hair one," Draco said calmly.

Blaise nodded when the others quickly agreed and turned back to the edge. The rest of them leaned over the gutter to watch as Blaise raised and flicked his wand. He shouted the spell, a simple line of two words and cracked the bolt of light at the man. As he was walking, the light zapped him silently and in a flash, all the brown hair that was resting on his head was gone. It fell off strand by strand, all at once and left a brown, staggered line on the sidewalk. What made the scene even more amusing was that the poor man didn't even notice and kept on walking as if nothing had happened. The boys crashed back on the slanted roof and howled to the sky with laughter. They kicked their legs, slapped the shingles under them, and shoved each other around until they could breathe once again.

"Ooh! Old lady!" Crabbe shouted.

"All right," Blaise said with amusement and pointed his wand at her. "How about the 'Colloshoo' one, huh?"

"Oh, yeah!"

Blaise cried out again and watched a ball of smoke pop around the old lady, although it was invisible to her. Her steps slowed quickly and she soon stopped all together. The rubber bottom of her shoes had suddenly melted into a liquid and stuck to the cement tighter than any glue ever invented. It stopped her in her tracks, making her stare in confusion and struggle to get free. As much as she strained and wiggled, she couldn't pull a single foot up and started toppling over like a fool. The boys cracked up again, becoming even louder this time and laughing longer.

Draco laid back on the slanted shingles and crossed his arms behind his head. "What's next?" He asked with his eyes closed from amusement.

The boys studied over the dark streets for a minute, glancing over sidewalks and open windows. "There's another old guy over there," Crabbe said after a minute.

Draco waved his hand in the air in an nonchalant way. "Nah, too boring."

Blaise almost gasped with excitement. "Little girl," he said with an evil gleam in his eyes.

Draco chuckled and nodded. "Oh, that's perfect. Do 'Bombarda'."

The others chuckled around him and watched as Blaise preformed another spell. The little girl couldn't be any older than eight and she was skipping through the park. She was beside a swing set and a bush when he flicked his wand. All at once, the bush, the swings, and the path before her exploded like a fierce firecracker going off. It boomed and sparked around her, making her jolt and scream in fright. She dashed the other direction instantly, her high pitch cry echoing through the streets and making the boys laugh even harder.

"Ugh, look!" Crabbe called and pointed to a moving car. "It's Ms. Deliria!"

"Who's that?"

Goyle explained, "It's this horrid, old muggle woman that used to turn Crabbe and me in for whatever she caught us doing. Got us in a lot of trouble, she did."

Blaise smiled and played with his wand like a professional admiring a golden trophy. "Then she deserves a _good_ spell, doesn't she?"

The evil grins were passed around the circle as the harsh thoughts came into play. "Bombarda?" Crabbe suggested.

"We can't kill her," Draco snapped, sitting up slightly. "How about… 'Avis'?"

"'Avis'?" Goyle questioned.

Blaise and Draco shared a similar smirk and Draco nodded at him. "Do it."

They all watched closely, except Draco since he laid back down, while Blaise got to his feet. He pointed his wand at the house that the lady had disappeared into and focused hard. He pulled his arm around his head in a large swirl and then snapped it down at the house again, screaming the spell at the same time. In a flash, a huge flock of crows came dispensing out of his wand and flew down angrily to the house. It came out as a large puff of ebony black smoke that quickly took separate forms into the hundreds of birds. They were large and irritated birds that blended in with the dark sky and they swooped together down to the target. They came shattering through the windows and even through the chimney in a fierce dive-bomb. The boys couldn't see much except dancing shadows on the yellow-lit curtains, but they heard massive screams and cries coming from the house, along with shattering glass and breaking objects.

"Oh, man!" Goyle said with a devilish smile and high-fived Crabbe once again.

Blaise sat back proudly and looked to Draco. He was laid back comfortably, arms crossed behind his head, and the white hairs covering some of his face. There was a small smile on his face, one that was enjoying the music ringing in his ears from the terrorized house below. Blaise narrowed his gaze on him until he was staring at the bandages on his forearm. It wasn't until Crabbe spoke to him that he looked away.

"Hey, Blaise, how about we take this party somewhere else?"

Draco snorted. "Like where?"

"I don't know. A muggle's house. We could prank them good. They won't even see it coming!" Draco opened his eyes to glance at the chubby moron then rolled his eyes and closed his lids again.

Goyle went with the conversation. "Yeah, we could prank some stupid muggle that we could find easily…Like some Raven claw kids. I heard most of 'em live in the central part of London."

Blaise remained quiet on the conversation while Crabbe continued it excitedly. "Ah, or even better, we could get someone more foolish and open."

"Like _Harry Potter_!" Blaise watched in surprise as Draco's eyes snapped open immediately.

"Oh, that's perfect! We could-"

"No." Draco said tensely in tight lips. He sat up quicker than a bolt of lightening, his head hung low.

"But Draco-"

"I said NO!" Draco jump to his feet and stood on the edge of the gutter, refusing to meet their gazes.

"Why not?" Blaise asked curiously.

"It would be a blast to make his hair fall off!"

"Because I said so!" Draco snapped viscously in a harsh tone he had never used before. He sounded like a raging monster, a fierce and sharp tone that made everyone sit back-he sounded like his father. His hands were in fists at his sides, clenching with fury.

"But-"

"It's _my_ party isn't it? So I'll say who we prank and I want it nowhere near that boy!"

"How come?"

"Because I don't wanna see his face at all tonight!" He whipped around, eyes flaming in pure anger. "Besides, I shouldn't have to explain myself to you two halfwits! So shut your bloody mouths."

They went quiet as they were ordered, but a wave of stubbornness washed over them. Their eyebrows pinched together and they glared slightly. "You've been hanging around him a lot lately," Goyle said tightly.

Draco flinched, but didn't let his superior wall fall for anything. "So what?"

"You don't hate on him as much as you did in the beginning of the year." Crabbe added in a low tone.

Draco glared. "What are you getting at?"

"You guys…" The boys seemed to hesitate now. "You seem like friends now."

Draco went quiet for a minute, staring deep into each one of their gazes fiercely. Blaise watched him carefully as he seemed to force out the words. "As if." He turned away again and said, "I came out her for you babies, but I'll make the orders. Plus, we don't even know where he lives."

"We could probably figure it out."

"I don't _want_ to," he hissed. "Got it?" Both boys nodded silently, still with a look of agitation and stubbornness. "Good." Draco fixed his robe and ordered the dark knight that stood before him. "Send me home. I'm sick of you guys."

Blaise gave Crabbe and Goyle a tired look and shook his head slightly in a remark of recognition. He waved his wand simply and muttered the spell that vanished Draco from the roof and back to his house.

Once inside, Draco relaxed. He sighed heavily and ran his hands over his face exhaustedly. He couldn't really grasp everything that happened today. He was pissed about what his mother told him, about his new "job". He was irritated by his friends' foolishness, but ended up playing with them anyway. Although, he couldn't regret the night. It was as much fun as he had in weeks. He loved pranks like that, ones that caused people distress and confusion. It was amusing to him. That was a clear symbol of why he was in Slitherin. Still, the mention of Harry had set him off. Just when he was feeling right, feeling like he used to, superior and successfully cruel, the way he should feel, it all fell apart when he was brought up. He was the one who brought out the soft side of him, the side that he had received a large portion of from his mother. The side that didn't want pain but comfort, something he desired but his pride pushed away. Love.

God, he loved that boy. There was no denying it. That's why he was so upset. That's why he couldn't stand the thought of someone hurting him and having him be apart of it. That's why he cursed at the job he was assigned to do. He couldn't do it. Just saying a harsh word to him was painful enough to tear at his heart enough to make him scream in pain. He couldn't do something like Goyle and Crabbe wanted to. They were such idiots.

And Blaise. He was so otherworldly, so neutral, so different. He challenged Draco when he least expected it and made him almost frightened. Then, he said something so queer to him that he taken aback for a second, even though he didn't show it. _"It's all right to be afraid sometimes. You can follow it, you know."_ What the bloody hell did that mean?

Then it hit him.

Harry.

Harry was what made him so frightened. Not what the brunette said or did, but just him in general. Hurting him, being separated from him, losing him, they all frightened him more than his job. And Blaise was saying… Draco smiled as he stood alone in the dark hall. So Blaise knew all along. That sly bastard. Draco started to strut to his room proudly with a wide grin. 'Follow it.' Follow your fear. He partied today instead of his birthday. He had permission to leave and he had a magical way to leave this house without an adult and without breaking the magic laws. If Harry was his fear, then he was going to damn well follow it.

"Thank you, Blaise," he muttered under his breath as the brilliant plan formed in his head. Through a nearby window, he could see the dark night and the cloud covered sky. The reason it was so dark upon the world was that some heavy clouds were covering up the surface of the moon. It blocked the bright silver lights that were trying to get through, begging to be revealed and meet the surface. Just like Draco. But not anymore. He was breaking out. Whether others liked it or not, he was going to see those beautiful eyes that shined like the silver rays from the bright moon above him.

**Hehehehe. Even though I thought this would be the hardest chapter to deal with, I actually finished it really quickly. Hope you like it. Review and tell me what you think.**


	4. Breaking Hell

_If Hell exists… If Hell is suppose to be the worst place on Earth, different to everyone by adapting to their worst fears and worst sights that wear them down to exhaustion… This is my Hell._

Harry rubbed his eyes under his glasses tiredly as he thought this. Behind him were his Hell mates, or the ones that were causing him Hell. Vermon was screaming, his face red with fury, Petunia was scowling, her lips so tight together Harry thought she would neigh at any second, and Dudley was smiling with foul glee, happy by the sight of Harry's pride being torn to pieces.

"You're an ungrateful, unwanted little snot-nosed brat! You should be thankful that we brought you in those years ago. We gave you shelter, food, and this is how you repay us?"

Harry stood at the sink with the dishes in his hands, taking the words with silence. It all started when the Vermon started giving orders every three seconds, making Harry run around the house like a packrat. When he muttered some smart-alec comment back to him under his breath, Vermon's top finally exploded. Now they were all looking at him as if he was some large disappointment that had truly crossed the line of humanity. Harry had heard it all before, but for some reason today was worse. He was extremely sore from all the house work and now he was getting bitched at for it. He was close to using his wand to shut the fat pig's mouth, but he couldn't risk it. Vermon seemed to be at that time of the month because he was screaming harder than ever before. Harry was honestly sick of it.

"Thanks to you, we're an embarrassment to the whole neighborhood and we can't leave the house! We treat you like our son and then you back-sass us? So you slack off on your chores and steal food from us? What kind of boy are you? Oh, that's right, you're the unloved, loner child that no one wanted to deal with! But we took you in! Out of the courtesy of our hearts. When your parents died-"

Harry instantly snapped. He threw whatever heavy dish he had in his hands into the sink harshly, splashing dirty, soapy water all over the place. It covered the sink in a thick, disgusting coat of water while Petunia was drench in the slimy liquid. Harry whirled around, screaming, "Shut up!" He slapped a wet towel against Vermon's chest with a harsh _smack_ as he stomped past him. When Vermon went to speak again, Harry raised his voice above his. "You talk like I'm some orphan boy who killed his parents and had to move here to change my life! Like you guys are some loving, caring family **when you're not**! And you treat me well? Oh, what a load of bullshit that is. I'm your bloody slave! If I'm so horrible then do your own shit, you lazy pig!"

The moment Harry spoke the words, he realized what he had started and quickly whirled away. He sprinted for the stairs as Vermon started to scream even louder, his chubby face blue from loss of air. Harry charged up the stairs, not looking back at the Pissed Papa Smurf and the smiling little brat behind him. He had started a war, of course, by screaming and he couldn't run away to avoid it. All he could do now was hide in his room yet again.

The moment he charged into his room, he froze in the door. Across from him, halfway through the window, were those golden eyes. Harry stared in disbelief, the pain and anger instantly washing away as if they were never there. He was out of breath from screaming and now he was panting, eventually slowing down as he stared. Time seemed to freeze as he stood there, watching the boy across the room. He had white hair that was silver in the dim moonlight shining beautiful rays from the window. He was dressed casually, instead of Slytherin clothes, in a button-up white shirt and black jeans. His wand was in his hand and he was smiling that crooked, sly smile. How he missed that smile, the one that was playful and teasing and sexy and cute all at once! Neither of them moved for the longest time, merely just staring as if they had walked into a dream. Finally, a shout pulled Harry back to reality.

"Shut that bloody bird up before I do!"

Harry flinched and quickly shut his door. He hadn't even noticed Hedwig was squawking and fluttering her wings like crazy from surprise. He ran by, putting a hand on her cage to settle her down, and sprinted to his window. The warm arms that wrapped around him were proof that he was awake. He buried himself into Draco's chest, feeling suddenly calm and relaxed, finally at place. His snake like fingers crawled through the brunette's hair and brushed the soft locks back. He tilted Harry's head up until the silver mixed with gold in the perfect combination. Their lips met softly at first, but as Harry came to from his dream, he kissed him harder, pulling himself up higher on his tip toes to make the feeling stronger. He had almost forgotten what it was like to kiss him, the warm peck from his soft lips that sent a tingle go shivering down his entire body, refilling him with strength and happiness. He felt like he was going to slip and fall into the utter blackness of Hell if it weren't for Draco, and he wasn't going to let go for the world.

When their lips pulled away, Harry kept his face close, unable to completely separate. "What are you doing here?" He asked in a hushed voice.

"I promised to see you, didn't I?" Draco said casually with that bounce of his eyebrows, giving him a smooth look.

Harry slowly smiled, instantly relieved of every doubtful feeling he had felt. Yet, a harsh shriek from Hedwig made him pull away. "Okay!" He said in a low voice and started shushing her. He stuck his hand in the cage and stroked her, smoothing down her ruffled feathers until she was cooing and finally fell silent. Harry glanced back as he shut the door, making sure Draco was still behind him. He was and he had even moved closer to him since he pulled away. "But.. The laws…" Harry said in confusion.

"It's my birthday." Draco spoke smoothly.

Harry stood still in surprise. "What?"

Draco looked until he found a clock by Harry's bed. "I turned seventeen… six minutes ago."

Harry looked at the clock then gave Draco a speechless look. "You… You got your inheritance… and the first spell you used… was to see me?"

Draco rolled his eyes with that playful look, lying through his teeth. "Well, I first used it for a pair of new shoes…" He walked closer, his eyelids drooping slyly and giving his glowing gold eyes a dangerous look. "What else would I use it for?"

Harry couldn't believe it. He felt so utterly happy and yet he didn't know what to do about it. He stood motionless as Draco pulled him close to him again, sliding his arms around him gently once again. Harry put his hands on his chest, feeling how warm his pale skin was through the thin shirt. "W-Well… Happy Birthday…"

Draco chuckled instantly, not expecting those words from him. Harry felt his stomach twist in a nervous knot, feeling like a loser for acting so dumbfounded. Yet, Draco's slender fingers gently touched his chin and raised his head up again. "I missed you," he said in a whisper. Harry felt all his strength fade away as Draco leaned down again as just softly reconnected their lips. It was a meaningful graze, a touch as soft as gauze that made Harry give in to him. He wrapped his arms around Draco's neck and kissed him again. Their lips parted slightly and fit together perfectly. Their tongues just barely touched and sent them each tingles of delight running down their skin. They gripped at each other tighter and kissed deeper, sucking and licking until they were out of breath. When they pulled away, their eyes met silently for a minute and they slowly smiled.

Yet, Harry was still nervous, especially when he heard a crash come from downstairs. "Um… How long have you been here?"

Draco's eyes glanced around the room. "Not long…"

"What did you hear?"

Draco looked back to the silver eyes and saw the struggle behind him. He couldn't lie to those eyes even if he had to. "Everything…"

Harry quickly dropped his head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He held him close as he said this, making Harry feel completely surrounded by him. He snaked his hand down Harry's arm until his fingers tickled his palm and traced his fingers. Harry smiled again as Draco interlocked their fingers and gripped his hand tight. Harry nuzzled his head into Draco's shoulder, missing the feel of his smooth skin against his cheeks. Harry drew himself closer until there was no space between them. Draco's free hand brushed Harry's cheek, his neck, his back, every part of him that he could touch. The smooth touch made Harry feel weak and he stood there like his servant, doing whatever Draco wished him to do. He tilted his head up and Draco gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. He moved the kisses along his jaw line and down his throat. It gave him chills that made him relax and breathe easy, all the physical struggles from today vanishing. Harry ran his hand down Draco's back and around to his chest. He was so buff and so warm, feeling like some kind of attractive bodyguard. When he trailed down Draco's free arm, he felt a bump under his shirt, something rough and irregular. Draco withdrew his arm from Harry's grip, notice something queer. Yet, he hugged him tighter, reassuring him silently.

To his surprise, though, Draco soon pulled away. He kept their hands connected and started to drag him to the bed. "Come on, you're tired."

Harry took a second to take in the words as Draco sat on his bed. "What?"

"I know you're tired, so don't tell me you're not." Draco pulled at the brunette's hand until he crawled on the bed with him. He slipped off his glasses, making Harry squint from embarrassment. "You should go to sleep…"

Harry allowed Draco to remove his sweater until he was in a comfortable, loose undershirt. "But.. It's your birthday."

"So?" Draco asked, tilting his head slightly with that attractive look that always drew Harry in to him. "You look like you're gonna pass out any second," he added with a chuckle.

Harry put himself beside Draco in front of his headboard, feeling surprised and confused. "Really? I was sure… you'd want Birthday Sex or something."

Draco let out a long breath. "As tempting as it is to jump you right now…" He ran his fingers through his hair again. "All I want to do is hold you."

Harry felt touched at the words and fell back as Draco pushed him down. "But I don't want to sleep." He grabbed Draco's smooth cheek, playing with the ends of the bleached-blonde hair at his fingertips. "I-I haven't seen you for two weeks. I want to talk to you, to-to kiss you -a-and-"

Draco put a finger on his lips, making Harry feel love struck. It seemed like he was in a movie or something, where the boy always puts a finger on the girl's lips before they kissed for the first time. "We will," he said quietly and pushed his head back down. "Don't worry. I'll give you all the time in the world to talk. But for now… Just sleep."

Harry gave in once again to that soft tone, those gleaming eyes, and that gentle touch. He dug his head in Draco's shoulder while wrapping his arms around his chest. Draco scooped his arms under Harry's, drawing him as close as physically possible. Their legs twisted together, looking like two different vines twining together beautifully. It seemed uncomfortable at first, to be all tangled up like that, especially after Draco threw a blanket over them. But as Harry relaxed, he felt himself settling into the feeling, as if he was becoming addicted to it and would no longer be able to sleep unless Draco was there. It was like all the other nights they had spent together in the Hogwarts dorms; they were slowly adjusting to the other's warmth, and curling up just to be closer to them.

Harry remembered how he was going to lay there for another hour or two before falling asleep. But then he heard something, a soft thump. And another… Then two more. He lifted his head up slightly on Draco's arm, drawing closer to his chest. That's when he realized he was listening to Draco's heart beat, softly pounding in his ear. It was mesmerizing, the gentle beat next to him. He felt his own heart following the pace, along with their breathing, as if they were one.

He let out a struggling breath, one that he had when Vermon had screamed at him, one that he had when he was working like a slave, one that he had whenever he felt insecure or upset. On the next breath in, he smelled something different, a bitter-sweet scent that made his nostrils dance with pleasure. He loved this sudden scent, being drawn to it like a bee to honey. It was like lavender mixed with a fierce cologne-no, like fresh water running over rocks with the lingering scent of little white flowers lining the river's edge. Draco's scent surrounded him, his warmth completely dragged him into the darkness of the night. He listened to his heart beat and matched his breathing, knowing that the two sounds were meant to be together.

"G'night, Draco…" Harry heard himself mutter.

"Goodnight, Harry."

The sound of his voice made Harry finally close his eyes. Wrapped in Draco's arms, melting in his warmth, drowning in his scent, Harry was asleep before he knew it and it was the best night of sleep he had in years.

…**...**

Harry was alone when he awoke the next morning. It surprised him, although he knew he shouldn't have been surprised. It made him wonder if last night really was a dream or not. Yet, his shirt was off and so were his glasses. Though, that was his regular schedule when going to bed. He went downstairs to find the Dursley's packing.

_Good,_ he thought as he moved silently past their rooms. _Maybe they'll leave forever._

"We've decided to forgive you for last night," Petunia said quietly from the living room.

Harry gave her a little interested look and went into the fridge without a word to her. He grabbed a glass of orange juice and a muffin from the counter. The dishes were still unfinished and resting on the counter like some horrible memorial to mock him. Harry, surprisingly, felt no regret. He pushed past Petunia only to come face to face with her husband.

"If you have any consideration, you'll do the chores while we're out today."

Harry gave him a cold stare. As much as he'd like to spit in his face or even use a spell to turn him into something nasty and _quiet_, he choked it all down and forced out a mutter. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Vermon said with that ridiculous smirk.

Harry waited as they all past by him. He glared when Dudley chuckled vilely and said, "Have fun," as he passed. He finally breathed right when the door shut behind them. He didn't care where they went, as long as they left him alone he was glad. He trudged up to his room, yet again. He sat down to eat when he suddenly didn't feel so hungry anymore. There wasn't any mail for him today, he had lost the war with the Dursley's, and now Hedwig was screeching to be let out.

Harry groaned and rubbed his eyes tiredly under his glasses. He pet the white owl soothingly as he took her out of her cage. He unlocked his window and thrusted his arm outward, letting the owl fly freely to the bright blue sky. It was a nice day and there were people happily cruising the sidewalks, minding their own business. If he wanted, he could sneak out and have fun at night; the family wouldn't check on him if he had done all they ordered him to. It was just he rarely had the energy to from all the work and exhaustion the Hell mates gave him.

He watched Hedwig fly off, curving with the gusts of wind to disappear around the house and stretch her wings. She would return when she was satisfied with flying. Harry sometimes wished he could switch places with her. A silly thought, yes, but being caged up and slaved around in such a way, exhausted, alone. Something like flying, being out in the open air, seemed so comforting. To do whatever the bloody hell you pleased was like a gift from the Gods… That he could never attain. At least not here. So Harry shut his window and turned back to his empty room. The loneliness was irritating and made him feel like he would never escape this Hell. Slowly, he walked to his bed and collapsed on it, bouncing face down until he almost suffocated in the thick blankets.

_I can't take this…_ He clenched onto the blankets miserably as he thought. _Please… Draco, come save me…._

…**...**

Blaise was relaxing in a thick, leather chair when the door slammed open. The family lobby was a comforting place; dim lights that cloaked the room in a musky, dark glow, heavy bookcases that gave the room an educated and formal look, fancy furniture that titled the room 'appropriately stylish', a roaring fireplace that was the main source of light and it crackled nicely in the back of the room.

Sitting by that said fire, Blaise lowered his drink when Draco stormed in. He walked not in that frustrated trudge, but that casual, sly strut that made everyone turn their heads to devote their attention to him. Blaise smiled and sat back coolly in the chair, saying smoothly, "Need something?"

"Just what exactly do you know?" Draco asked in a direct tone, one that didn't get questioned. Blaise met his dark eyes with Draco's golden ones, the yellow circles glowing from the light of the fire behind Blaise. When he remained silent, Draco smirked without fear. "You know about him, don't you?"

"Harry's a…. nice partner." Blaise said after a pause. " A Gryffindor, smart, cute… But he's also the Malfoy's number one enemy."

"You're point?" Draco snapped, irritated by his hurtful statements.

Blaise flickered his eyes around the room in a sense of boredom. "Keeping it a secret?"

"What?"

"I found out from some nervous Gryffindor kid… Mebille? Anyway, he found out from Harry, himself after your memory slip-up." He chuckled. "You're obviously hiding it from everyone, including Goyle and Crabbe."

"Don't need to tell," Draco said simply. "They find out, they find out. I don't give a shit."

Blaise smiled that devilish smile that made Draco narrow his gaze; that taunting stare that was silently challenging him. "Sleeping with the enemy isn't all that bad. Truly entertaining, I bet."

"How long have you known?" Draco asked, not responding to his games.

"Since the beginning." Blaise took a sip from his drink again.

"How come Crabbe and Goyle don't know then?"

Blaise pinched up the corner of his smile, taking Draco's side but also playing his own vile game. "Don't need to tell. They find out, they find out,…right?"

Draco glared silently for a moment, then slowly smiled. "I got my inheritance… Which means I can go anywhere I want." Blaise nodded without a word and watched Draco take a few closer steps toward him. "As far as anyone knows, when I'm gone… I'm with you. Got it?"

Blaise narrowed his eyes in a cold stare. This was his game, using him as a pawn yet again. Like he cared. It wasn't his business, but he was still playing the cover-up card. He grabbed his drink again and looked away, muttering, "Whatever."

Draco smiled, pleased with himself and the new game they were going to play. He had his pieces and the board was set up, now all he needed to do was roll the dice. He knew it would eventually get to that point where he would lose his turn of luck, but until then he was going to enjoy this new game. He was going to run into Hell and come out with a new prize, one that he wanted to collect ever since school ended. Now was his chance and he was diving in head first.

**Gosh, sorry this took so long. School is coming up and I'm so not prepared. The next chapter will be up sooner than this one, I'm so sorry.**


	5. Sweet Surprises

Harry was digging in his closet when the hands come out of nowhere. They slipped around his face from behind, covering his silver eyes immediately. He instantly flinched and snatched the hands, ready to punch whoever had broken into his room.

"Let's go on a date."

The calm voice stopped him. "Son of a…" He breathed and whirled around. Draco was smiling and standing as close as he could to him. "When the hell…" He sighed to relax and took a minute to take it all in. Okay, Draco was here. He hadn't dreamed any of it. And now… what was he saying? "Uh, um.. A.. A-A date?"

"Yes," Draco said smoothly and dropped down on Harry's creaky bed, the rusty springs quickly taking an interest to him. "Isn't that what muggl-people do here?"

Harry closed his closet with a shirt in his hand and took off his undershirt. "Well, yes, but…"

"Then what's wrong?" Draco asked.

Harry shook his head, trying to find the right words to say, but instead found the golden eyes looking all over his lean body. They crawled all over his bare skin, practically groping him from afar. He blushed and turned away, quickly slipping the shirt on. "I-It's just… A date doesn't seem something you'd wanna do."

Draco jumped up and caught his hands on Harry's bare chest before he could lower the shirt down completely. Harry jolted at the cold touch of his fingers and squirmed as he rubbed. "Hmmm," Draco whispered into his ear, "keep it off. You look so much better without it."

"Dr-Draco stop! Hey, that tickles!" He laughed and finally got free from the groping grip. He felt himself relax. Draco hadn't changed and he was damn glad. "But, um, a date? Like what?"

Draco spun around and sat back down on the bed extra hard to listen to the creak again. "Does it matter? I don't know what you muggles do here, but as long as you want to-Has your bed always been this squeaky?" He jumped up and down until the springs were echoing around them. "Damn, I really should've jumped you the other night. This bed would've been so much-"

"Draco!" Harry covered his mouth and sat down beside him with a sigh.

Draco chuckled and pushed the dark auburn locks out of his face. "Sorry I couldn't come yesterday…."

Harry was expecting an excuse to follow his words, but his voice trailed off without one. He brushed it off easily. "It's ok… Just the usual stuff anyway." Draco suddenly lifted his head to the ceiling, listening to the silence around them. "What is it?" Harry asked.

"Where are they?"

Harry bit his lip when he mentioned the Dursely's and let out an exhausted breath of relief. "Out. They like to avoid me as much as I like to avoid them." He flashed Draco that playful smile, but quickly saw something he hadn't seen in a while.

"Good," Draco said with that dark, enticing gaze in his eyes. He snatched the brunette's shoulders and shoved him down on the bed. "Then they won't be here to hear you scream." He licked Harry's lips before kissing him, sending delightful shivers down Harry's body. He grunted as Draco's tongue slipped between his teeth and rolled across the roof of his mouth. He relaxed although he was taken by surprise from the move. He ran his fingers through Draco's sleek white hair, loving how the touch felt so enticing to him. He felt Draco hover over him closer, pressing their bodies together tighter with every kiss. His hand landed on Harry's hip where it playfully took its time slipping under his shirt. He got goose bumps on the first touch and made his body wince. Draco smiled on Harry's lips and kissed him harder as he quickly slid his hand up his chest, surprising his body again. Harry shuddered and drowned in the kiss, giving in to Draco more and more. He dragged his hands down Draco's back, slowly teasing him by tugging on his hair and shirt every now and then. He ran one hand down his arm, the one that was propping himself up above the brunette, and tugged on the sleeve. Draco seemed to wince and Harry felt the sudden touch of bandages.

Draco pulled away and Harry opened his eyes, darting his gaze to his forearm to see if his senses were correct. "What's that?"

Draco whipped his arm behind his back, sitting up almost immediately. "It's nothing. Just a scratch."

Harry squinted his eyebrows in confusion and sat up, too. Now he was giving an excuse? "But-"

"It's _nothing_," Draco said suddenly, his voice stressing the word as he turned away. Harry quickly felt out of place, as if they were back to being enemies. But he pushed it away. That wasn't true. It couldn't be true. When Draco looked back at him, his golden eyes seemed to shine as if putting on a show. "I tripped and fell down my porch yesterday. It's not bad really, but my mother freaked and made me stay home. That's why I couldn't see you yesterday." Harry watched, almost mesmerized by his soft touch, as Draco ran his fingers down his cheek. "Forgive me?"

The words seemed honest-**too** honest, but Harry still gave in to them. He nodded and kissed his hand sweetly before he pulled it away. "As long as you're okay."

"Good." Draco pushed off the bed and walked towards the door. "Now where do you want to go? I don't know my way around this bloody town so-"

"Uh, wait." Harry jumped to his feet and got behind him before he could open the door. "Um.. About that…"

"What?" Draco said, his direct voice practically saying, "Spit it out."

"I… can't. I have chores." He admitted quickly and then felt a foolish wave wash over him. How lame was that?

"Chores?" Draco almost laughed. "Oh god, just forget 'em."

"I can't!" Harry grabbed his hand when it reached for the door handle again. "It's that… I have to do laundry and c-cook… Before they get home and… I can't, ugh! It's complicated."

Draco rolled his eyes and forced the door open. "Harry, we're bloody wizards!"

"I can't use magic!" Harry said as he followed him to the front of the stairs.

"No," Draco said and gave him that sly, vile look. He held up his wand and said, "But I can."

Harry finally caught on to what he was saying. Draco easily flicked his wand and muttered a spell. With a flash, a bolt of magic came from his wand and fanned out across the house. The sense of pure magic traveled in thin layers like flying snakes that slithered from room to room. The strands were a light gold, smoky and twinkling with the obsolete task of working. Each one went into a separate room, opened all the doors, washed down the stairs like a mystical wave, across the floors, into the kitchen, to the living room, up the walls, and along the ceiling. Everything was cleaned as much as possible, dishes washed, floor mopped, appliances dusted, all the laundry washed, beds made, windows cleaned, carpet vacuumed, pictures straightened, pillows fluffed, toilet cleaned, and so on.

Harry watched all his chores that usually took him all day to accomplish happen by themselves in less than a minute. As quick as it started, with things flying around the house, it ended just as fast and everything settled back down, clean and ready to go. Draco dropped his wand and smirked in accomplishment. When he looked to the staring brunette behind him, he saw the look of pure astonishment on it. Harry's silver eyes were glazed over with happiness and he looked up to Draco beside him, those golden eyes gleaming like the solid gold gates to heaven waiting to open for him. He smiled as he saw Hell fading from his very eyes. "Thank you," he muttered in an earnest whisper before hugging his lover-or his savior- as tight as physically possible.

…**...**

"What do you want to do?" The question was so simple, but then again so tough. So many choices _normally_, then Draco added. "Something mortal or something _magical_." Harry had been dying for some magic. Anything really, he was fascinated by Draco using a spell to see him, but secretly he wanted more. Three weeks without magic never seemed so horrible. He didn't even need to answer. The gleam in his eyes had said it all. Draco had wrapped his arm around Harry's waist, something not mandatory for the spell, but mandatory for Draco, and waved his wand.

Now they stood amid a wild, cheering crowd. People laughed, screamed in delight, jumped, ran, and so much more. Everyone was dressed casually, old fashioned, fancy, and ordinary. There was loud music, beautiful notes that flowed smoothly from some kind of guitar, echoing all around them. There was a sweet scent in the air, like candy coated snacks or salty meals that seemed so rich in taste. It was loud and such a rush that Harry could barely take it all in. His silver eyes darted all around them, wide with amazement.

"Where are we?" He asked over the cheers and music.

Draco shrugged and put his wand away. "Somewhere in Italy, I think. Well, the magical part of Italy anyway." Harry gave him a stern, shocked look. Draco only smirked. "I read it in a newspaper or somewhere that there was this festival going on. Thought it seemed fun." Harry looked around again when Draco paused, examining the people and the exotic attractions. "We can do something else if you want."

"No." Harry said immediately, smiling back at him. "This is fine."

They walked through the crowd, watching people run from side to side of the road. There were stands all over, on the sides, in the middle, and pretty much everywhere on the road. Most held food from pastas to seasoned meats and others from candies to toys. Kids giggled, women gossiped, and men chatted all over the place. There seemed no place to rest because no one wanted, or could, relax in such a place! There was always something going on and the boys found themselves sucked in before they knew it.

There were performers everywhere. A man dressed in all red with black stripes was tossing something in the air that caught their attention. He was tossing something that looked like plain plastic tubes above him. It was a simple juggling trick where he slowly increased the height of his objects until it was as tall as the buildings around them. Once he had them all in the air, he flicked his wand so fast it was a blur. The first tube morphed into a vase, which he easily tossed in the air. The second flashed into a bowling ball, which he struggled to toss up high enough. Then the third was turned into some sort of animal. No one could tell if it was a dog or a wolf, but it snarled viciously as it snapped into the air above everyone. Before it reached the man's hands, it turned back into the tube and changed again when he flicked it back into the air. The objects grew larger and heavier with every toss, starting with a house-cat that turned to a tiger, a small safe to a full sized boat, and so many things like an elephant and even a grown woman. As she did flips on the way back down, she curled back into a tube and the man collected them all at once. He then did one final toss in which they all spiraled into the bright blue sky. Their last transformation was done with a loud, proud shout that snapped all three into a flock of doves. Everyone clapped and cheered as they flew off above them like beautiful mini angels making their way to Heaven.

As they moved farther through the crowd, they came across another performer. It was a beautiful young lady dressed in a white leotard with a thin, transparent dress over it. She had white sparkles and paint across her face, making her eyes shine wildly. Around her were tall, skinny banners of all colors, a light blue so graceful that it matched the color of the coldest glaciers in the snow, a passionate purple that was as smooth as real lavender, a green darker than the pine needles on a tree. The one that really stood out, however, was a fierce red so vivid and bright that it seemed like a live fire. The way the tall fabric waved and rippled in the air above everyone looked like a crackling red flame, snapping and ready to burst any second. As Harry looked closer, he noticed that the colors were getting brighter and closer like some sort of 3-D action. Then he realized that the banner actually _was_ on fire. The colors burst into actual heat, rippling all the way up to the towering top until it snapped viciously.

The woman, whose leotard was now a matching orange, waved her wand in circles above her head. The fire waved and turned until the banner snapped off the post it was on. The live tunnel of fire turned and somehow took shape. It held a long body like that of a snake, and formed a scale-covered, large head at the end. The thing roared, revealing the head of a dragon. It snapped and hissed as it curled into the air and jumped down-straight for the crowd. Everyone gasped and seemed to jump in unison. Some ran away, but everyone else seemed frozen. Harry watched the mouth of flames open up, exposing the harsh blue flames that rested inside the tunnel of fire. He backed up into Draco who merely grabbed him to relax.

Just before it reached the crowd, another element came smashing against it. It was a light blue tunnel of water, the liquid hovering in the air as if it were solid. A giant hiss echoed through the crowd as a large ball of steam exploded above everyone. The fire-dragon whipped away above the crowd and faced its new opponent. The woman's clothing was now a beautiful baby blue as she controlled the water-snake above her. The snake was so realistic, the scales visible in the moving ripples of the water. Its head was pointy and its fangs dripped water onto the crowd as it hissed to the dragon. The crowd began to cheer, their faces bright from the light reverberating off the dragon. Suddenly, the dragon and snake pounced forward, curling toward the other in fast strikes to eat the other element alive. Their bodies crashed, forming more steam and screams from the crowd. They separated again, switching sides above the crowd, and attacked once more. The other banners also came to life while the fire and water animals battled. The green banner snapped into a giant bird of some sort, falcon or eagle, they couldn't tell but it raised it's graceful head to the sky and screeched. The dragon stopped its fighting and aimed for the bird. The bird swooped away and came for the snake. It snapped at it, striking it against the wing and sending large amounts of blades of grass shimmering down to the crowd. The woman, now dressed in a eccentric green, danced below the animals, controlling them into a fierce battle. They all curled and whipped above the crowd, coming closer and closer before rocketing back into the air.

Then all at once the animals crashed together, the fire-dragon from the right, the water-snake from the left, and the grass-bird from the top. They all collided in the very center of the crowd high in the air, exploding on contact. Out from the center, coming from behind it all was another bird made of beautiful purple. It was a peacock, snapping out his wings and spreading its tail feathers above everyone to see. The bird had feathers mixed of flaming red, running water-blue, pure grass green, and vivid lavender purple. It cooed loudly, making everyone cheer before it vanished into pieces. It started to rain grass blades, lavender petals, and clouds of steam. The woman gave the crowd a bow, finally dressed in a purple leotard with sparkles and paints of vibrant colors all over her.

The boys continued through the crowded streets. The buildings around them were architecturally amazing. Some were piled on top of each other, others were slanted and going down hills like a set of stairs one house after the other. What was more interesting was that even the buildings that were separated by a couple feet were still attached by clothes lines in windows and mini walkways from boards of wood. As Draco and Harry passed by a few alleyways, they saw spaces wide enough to be parks. They saw some kids playing some sort of game. There was a ball that they were kicking around. However, whenever they touched the ball, it would bounce off the wall and change colors. It started off white then turned yellow, orange, then red. The young kids kicked it back and forth like a game of soccer, but they seemed to be avoiding the ball, only kicking it when it came near them. The colors grew darker until it turned a dark grey and morphed darker and darker into a deep midnight black. The power coming off the ball was visible from Harry's distant and he saw the ball was shaking. The kids then squealed with delight and ran away from the ball. But one brave boy charged the ball with full speed and smashed it to the wall. It exploded before it made contact with the bricks, turning into confetti and brilliant colors of all sorts.

The way the kids laughed and smiled made Harry feel right at home. He looked around as they walked, seeing large smiles and wide, excited eyes. There was magic everywhere, everyone was happy, and not a sign of doubt anywhere. He couldn't help but feel utterly happy. The warmth boiling up inside him put a permanent smile on his face for the rest of the day. He bumped against Draco as they moved through the crowd and his hand grazed the white haired boy's. Something tingled through his fingers then. He almost flinched. The only time Draco and him held hands was when they were alone, but never in public. Well, besides classes he had never been anywhere public with Draco. Not like this, not on a date. His silver eyes seemed to catch every couple in the crowd then. The couples were almost all the same, the boy's arm around the girl's shoulders, their wrists wrapped around the other's waist, or their hands connected at their sides. Would it be weird to hold his hand? Harry gave a nervous glance to Draco's hand, but gave up on it. It was surprising that Draco wanted to go on a date, but holding hands was out of the question.

Harry let it slide with a small amount of uneasiness and moved his attention to the excitement around him. The stands and counters were everywhere. One was selling pouches of tiny objects that Harry realized as he passed were animals. There were miniature frogs, snakes, weasels, worms, and much more. It was a prank stand, once the animals came out of the pouches, they grew ten times in size to surprise anyone. The boys laughed as a girl screamed from an example. The uneasiness was quickly gone.

There was another stand that was selling magical CD's of all genres. The magical touch was that all you had to do to play it was wave your hand across it. The sales man demonstrated by scissoring his hands above two CD's, scratching the music like a professional DJ. There were counters of clothing and stands with accessories of all sorts. They soon came to a more sorted place with stands in specific spots. Harry realized it was the food court with short buildings and concession stands of snacks.

They passed them all, not feeling the need for anything specific, until Draco pulled Harry to a stop. He led him to the right, coming out of the crowd for a moment and to a less packed area. The stand he led him to was a chocolate stand with mini squares, bars, disks, balls, and shapes he never thought of. There were over twenty flavors according to the banner above the young ladies heads. The two were twins and held each end of a platter that outstretched to the boys. "Free sample?" They said in one sweet voice.

Harry took the ball of chocolate since it was practically in his face. Draco gently took it from his fingers since it was already melting from just the heat of his touch. "We can share it," Draco said smoothly, his golden eyes gleaming handsomely.

Harry suddenly felt nervous and he didn't know why. "Okay.." He watched Draco put the piece of chocolate near Harry's lips and leaned in. That's when the brunette realized that they were going to eat it _together_. He pulled away instantly. "B-But, Draco, we-we're in public!"

"So?" His gaze narrowed slyly. Harry paused and glanced around at the people all around them, minding their own business. Draco's arm wrapped around his waist and pulled the brunette against him. "No one's watching," he said quietly with such a smooth expression that Harry couldn't resist.

There was a knot of nervousness in his stomach when Draco moved closer. Yet, he seemed to relax with a chuckle when Draco put the chocolate between his lips. He leaned in and Harry forgot about everyone and everything around them. The music died down and all faces disappeared except for the white haired boy's before him. Draco's lips touched the other side of the chocolate then their lips connected quickly. The chocolate crumbled between their mouths, melting the sweet liquid all over. Draco licked Harry's teeth which he grunted and shoved his tongue out. Their tongues wrestled in a bath of chocolate as they kissed deeper, sucking tighter, and licking harder. Harry clutched to his chest, drowning in the sweetness of the kiss, the taste of chocolate and Draco blending together in the perfect bitter-sweet combination. The candy melted quickly-too quickly because the kiss seemed to end so fast.

They pulled away slowly, chocolate smeared all over their lips which Draco licked off for Harry. The brunette had been blushing before the kiss even started and now he was a bright pink all over his cheeks. He rubbed his mouth dry and caught the staring eyes all around them. People were staring in surprise and some girls, like the girls from the candy stand, were blushing with delight. Harry looked away, while Draco smiled proudly and said to the twins, "We'll take a bag of those."

Soon they were back in the crowd, happily walking and enjoying their time. They snickered at the way some people were dressed and pointed out the magic they saw. They passed under some sort of cement bridge that was attached to some higher buildings. After that, the crowd seemed to grow tighter. Harry's shoulder only brushed Draco's at first, but then they were squeezed together, trying not to get separated in the massive groups of people. Harry was afraid that by a few pushes and bumps he would get lost and lose Draco forever.

Suddenly something warm grasped his hand. He didn't realize it at first because it caught him off guard, but then he recognized the slender fingers as they wrapped around his palm. The hand interlocked with his, pulling him close to Draco's side to assure that that's where he would stay. Harry felt the heat form passionately under his eyes, but he didn't have the breath to speak. Instead, Draco's low voice spoke first.

"Don't worry," he said soothingly without looking at him. "No one can see."

A warm, bubbly feeling came into Harry. He felt so happy, no it was more than that. He was thankful for this, for everything, for Draco. He didn't have to speak back. He merely smiled and squeezed the warm hand back tightly.

After walking for some time, they finally came across why the crowd was so much more active over here. They came to a curve in the crowd, where everyone was standing behind some invisible line. There was a portion of the crowd scattered in the center of the empty space. Everyone had moved back politely to form a separate circle. However, the music was louder here and everyone was screaming-no, chanting. They were cheering something in Italian over and over in unison with their claps. Harry and Draco moved to the front of the crowd where they could see into the center. Harry finally saw what-or who they were chanting for.

There was a large group of people, all dressed in eccentric clothing that seemed to be made out of weird, other-worldly fabric. Well, they were wizards after all so it wasn't surprising. There were boys and girls of all heights and sizes and they were dancing. Not the modern city type dancing that Harry had seen before. It was specialized and almost cultural. The boys caught them in the middle of their dance so they were in two separate lines facing each other. It went boy-girl order with the boys facing inward and the girls facing outward. Then, in the pick-up of the music around them, the girls started to do back flips toward the center of the crowd. The boys did a few spins, something that seemed so simple that quickly turned magical. A flash of light bounced off their glimmering clothes and they charged for the center. They all met in a single line, where the boys did a front flip into their positions. They all started moving quickly, snapping and popping and the line forming shapes that Harry didn't even know was possible. The way they blended together and bounced off each other, dancing with their backs to each other and suddenly facing them literally ricocheting off someone else was impressing. Every time their bodies _popped_, a different flash of light echoed off their bodies. The men would run and slide, forming into a circle on the ground where two girls would jump above them and do flips. Each one would snap their hands at the boys and that's when Harry saw their wands. A spell made a sudden wave of water burst from the ground between the boys. So each one of the four groups of boys on the floor now looked like geysers. People grew louder and clapped insanely.

They did similar tricks all over the place, flashing lights and forming shapes and animals. Once their tan clothes blended into a yellow glow as they all stopped in weird positions. Some were upside down, others were bent over, others completely straight and others curved like a piece of taffy. As Harry looked closer, his eyes caught the glimpse of a lion. They actually formed the shape of a over-sized lion. Just then the man in front shot forward, colors bursting as the music roared like the animal. The crowd jumped in amazement. The girls started to do a weird skipping motion into a tight circle. The boys ran by them a few times and then stopped between them in specific spots. They started to spin again, going at a normal _human_ pace. But then the colors started to flash off their clothes. Their pace sped up and soon they were faceless blurs and the colors grew brighter, spun faster. Soon they looked like spinning sparklers on the fourth of July, sparking and popping colors of all sorts to the crowd. Soon, however, the music ended and they stopped with a bow. Harry wanted to join in the applause, but he refused to let go of Draco's hand. The warmth was too comforting to release so easily.

The music came back on and the boys and girl split up into pairs. Each couple suddenly started dancing together like a slow dance at a party. They would step forward and back, spin the girl one way, then the other, and the men would bow while the girl would curtsy. Then they would simply turn around and come face to face with their new partner where they did the same dance. They slowly got faster, the music's beat increasing with every other beat. They started to bow and trade partners faster, then they through in some funny twists of their hips and the boys even picked up the girls until they flipped over their backs and landed in front of their new partner. The settling, romantic mood turned into an exciting, silly moment. Some of the pairs stopped dancing and turned to the crowd. They dragged people in the circle to start dancing with them even if they didn't know the pattern. Harry watched the people in front of him get dragged off into the dance circle. A lot of people stayed in the crowd, but some entered the dancing frenzy even if they just stood there laughing.

In the midst of it all, Draco pointed over the dance circle. "Look over there." Beyond the end of the crowd was another bridge where the crowd faded into more stands and tables to rest. There were some glimpses of performers and even games, but it was less of a rush. "Want to go there?" Harry nodded, hugging Draco's hand close to his leg to tell him that he was going to stay by his side no matter where they went. "Okay, so… we're gonna have to go around somehow…"

Harry got lost in the music. He was staring at the enjoyment everyone was having in the circle even though they were making total fools of themselves. He saw their smiles and their laughs echoed into the music. The only thing he was thinking was, _I want to see Draco smile like that…_

He felt a tug on his hand, obviously Draco starting to pull him to go around the dance circle. Yet, the moment Harry felt it, he tugged against it, pulling Draco forward before he realized what he was doing. He had dragged Draco into the dance circle before he could argue. When he faced him, quickly disappearing into the other dances, he watched Draco smile ridiculously with a look that said, "Really?"

"You're going to make me do this?" He asked over the music and Harry laughed.

"Yes." He took Draco's other hand and decided to spin. Draco rolled his eyes and followed along, spinning together round and round until all of Harry's weight was on his heels and he was about to fall. He yanked him back by tugging on his hands and released one of his hands to put it on his back. They moved into the Tango formation and foolishly started to bounce around. Harry felt the stupid grin remaining permanent on his face and he was laughing at every move they did. They spun around the other dancers who were also smiling and enjoying their time. Harry saw the gleam in Draco's eyes and his smile was… mesmerizing. He felt relieved and satisfied at the same time. He could be himself with Draco and not feel out of place from it. Like how their hands were connected, they were sharing the same emotions. They danced wildly for a bit, moving through the crowd one step at a time. Then Draco picked up Harry's arm, forcing him to twirl around in a girly spin. When he finished and started to get his balance, he had tumbled out of the circle with Draco following him. Harry was panting to catch his breath, still smiling, when he saw Draco just staring at him. His golden eyes were caught around him like a beautiful web, gazing upon its captured prize. Harry darted his eyes away, feeling embarrassed by his earnest stare.

"What is it?" The brunette asked shyly.

Draco stared for another minute, honestly happy to see him smiling so much. He took a deep breath and shook his head. "Nothing," he said and walked forward, motioning for him to follow which Harry obeyed silently.

The rest of the day went in the same thrilling rush. They watched more performers, demonstrations of things for sale, and even a few shows here and there. They ate a few things, having weird sandwiches and drinks that resembled soda but were actually juice. They shared some more chocolate, even though Harry was embarrassed by the stares, and found some Italian ice cream that was a lot like sorbet ice cream back at home. They passed some games like those at a carnival. They merely watched others play since it was really silly, like guess the right spell to match some after effects of explosions and repairs which was actually a lot more difficult than it sounded, and also a stand of famous wizard look-alikes. A lot of people found it entertaining to get transformed into a famous Italian wizard and have your picture taken with your friends.

Before they knew it, the sun was setting and the festival was calming down. The crowd didn't fade, not even the slightest bit, but the excitement was turned down a notch. The sky that was once a bright, ocean blue, was now a darkening orange with strokes of pink and yellow bended in all over. Harry and Draco had found an empty bench to rest upon. He hadn't realized how much energy he had spent just by walking around and dancing a bit and getting dragged through crowds and around a lot of buildings… He felt tired, but refused to go home. Only a single thought of the Dursley's appeared in his mind and he thought of what they would think when he came home late at night without an excuse. Yet, he pushed it away without a single drop of care. He was honestly sick of them and was glad he was away from them. Besides, he was with Draco and he should be the only thing on his mind.

They had been talking for a bit, but then Draco seemed to drift away from the conversation, distracted by thought so Harry used the minute to relax. He leaned against Draco's shoulder who threw his arm around him. It was so comforting to be alone with Draco in such a public place, not afraid of other's thoughts or stares for once. His eyes danced around the moving crowd, like a sea of bodies that never stopped moving. He then closed his eyes for a minute, slowly settling into the warmth of Draco around him. He had missed this. Even if all they did was sit there side by side, Harry was perfectly happy. He couldn't deny it even if he wanted to. It was so deep, but so cliché. He loved being with Draco.

When he opened his eyes, his gaze landed on a small group of dancers. Some couples had formed their own circle by some speakers, arms around shoulders and waists slow dancing. His eyes narrowed at the sight. Slow dancing… Had he ever slow danced with anyone before? Well, he had danced with Draco a few hours ago, but that was merely messing around. Had he ever held someone's hand, pulled them close and danced _with_ them? Led the slow steps? Stared into their eyes? Had he ever really romantically danced with someone?

An image of him and Draco both dressed in tuxedos dancing like that popped in his head. He smiled and pushed it aside. No way. Going on dates and holding hands in public was surprising enough, but he knew absolutely no way, no matter how much money he was given, Draco wouldn't slow dance with him in public. It didn't bother him really. He didn't like the thought of people staring and disapproving of their actions. He was happy with being beside Draco and that was good enough for him.

Suddenly, Draco was on his feet, pulling on Harry's hand. "C'mon," he said softly as Harry got to his feet.

Harry watched their fingers interlock again as they started to walk. "Where are we going?"

Draco's eyelids drooped. _That_ look came back. He hadn't seen it in so long he was trapped in staring at it. Harry knew he wasn't going to tell him as soon as he seen the soft, deep look in his eyes; the one that said, "That's for me to know and you to find out."

"Just… come with me." Was all he said, pulling Harry closer and walking faster.

They walked on the edges of the crowds, staying close to the buildings the entire time. They slipped past a few clumps of people who were walking in the same direction. That's when Harry noticed that everyone was coming together, forming one gigantic crowd at the front of the town. The performances stopped, shows ended, stands closed, and games finished. Harry's first thought was that the festival was ending, but all the lights-street lamps, strings of colors hanging on buildings- only got brighter. Soon there was a glowing ball at the front of the crowd. All the lights seemed to purposely line up in an arrow of light at it, pointing everyone in the opposite direction the boys were walking in. Draco led Harry up one of those bridges which they got to by a spiraling ramp. Up there, Harry could see everything better. It was like looking into the horizon of the sea, seeing hundreds of heads and not seeing the end, but knowing that it went on forever.

Draco also glanced at the never ending crowd as they passed over it on the bridge. "It's about time they got it started," he muttered.

Harry would've questioned him about it, but he already knew he wasn't going to get an answer. So he silently continued to follow him as they moved to a higher level of streets. These ones were completely empty except for a few groups of people hanging by the edges to tower over the crowd, waiting for the show that was going to start. Harry expected something else-well, he didn't actually expect anything on where Draco was taking him, but he didn't expect this.

Draco had led him to a tower. It was abandoned for the most part, dark and empty inside from the look of the blank windows. It was like something out of a medieval game, tall, lean and made of old, grey bricks. It was attached to the apartment complex beside it so it wasn't a single unit. The roof was flat, surprisingly, with a small metal railing. Harry stared up at it while Draco unlocked the door with his wand and pushed open the door.

"Isn't this breaking and entering?" Harry asked with a sense of tease and a raised eyebrow.

Draco shrugged and pulled him inside. "Not if we get caught."

It smelt like rusty iron inside, but it slowly faded as they made their way up the stairs. They weren't spiral like Harry expected. Instead they were square, being split into half sections that layered on top of each other, going one way then the other, then back the other way. They reached an open door that revealed a bedroom. They moved to the door beside it. There was a sort of flash and they were at the roof. Harry didn't question sudden magic like that. He would give the suddenly closed door a few confused glances, but he had gotten used to the surprised feeling.

Draco let go of his hand and walked to the edge. Harry realized the sun was gone and the muggy clouds of the night were blocking the moon somewhere. Still, he found rays of moonlight that danced over the town beautifully. The nightly breeze made him take a deep breath in and inhale the alive feeling that was silently buzzing in the air. He set the bags of chocolate and other things they bought earlier on the ground and slowly approached the silent white haired boy. He was looking down so Harry followed his gaze. Over the edge of the railing, Harry saw the buzzing crowd. They were hushed, the natural feeling that always overcame everyone at night time, but they were also anxious. Harry could tell just by looking at their shuffling bodies; they were waiting for something.

Once again, his silver eyes got caught on the lights. A specific light this time, one in the very front of the crowd. He had seen it earlier. Even though they were so distant from the crowd, they were still above them in a way so he could see it, but not clearly. It was a little yellow glow on a stage he had seen before. He could see shadows of people around the glow, leaning down to it. Then, it grew brighter. The yellow intensified into a fierce orange and suddenly shot up straight into the air. Harry jolted, his gaze following the light unconsciously. It faded, however, into an invisible line of smoke that shot into the center of the sky. The moment the burst happened, he recognized it. The firework exploded into a beautiful ray of lights, purple, blue, and red. It was directly above them, showering them in the glows of the colors until it faded.

Another one went off, bursting into another wave of colors. Two went off at once, exploding right after the other and combing the colors into one beautiful green. Harry kept his head bent back, staring in amazement as the colors burst over and over. Then a magical touch was added, the fireworks took a shape after they exploded. A giant burst of purple morphed into a large octopus that snapped its tentacles at the cheering crowd. A pop of green and yellow turned into a funny-looking leprechaun that jumped up and spun around foolishly. Harry snickered and then watched a ray of pink turned into a row of show girls dancing inappropriately that made the crowd go crazy.

Yet, as the colors made everything glow, he couldn't help but feel so attached at the moment. A day full of magic and excitement was just the thing he needed. He no longer felt worn out. Instead he felt alive, like every nerve in his body was rebooted with understanding. He felt like everyone staring at the fireworks with him were his friends, even though he didn't know a single one of them. He just felt… happy, he guessed he could call it that. There were no real words to describe it.

Harry finally dropped his head, neck a little sore, and looked to Draco. He had been staring at him the entire time, golden eyes wrapped around him once more. The next firework sent dashes of light purple and red into his snow white hair. They stared silently for a minute until Harry noticed something in Draco's hand. He had pulled out his wand.

"This was the real reason I brought you here…" He said quietly.

Harry watched as Draco snapped his arm up to the sky straight above them. A firework had just faded when Draco let his own explode for the crowd. It was a fierce pop of red, fire red, blood red, he couldn't tell. It was a red that seemed to touch you. The color of passion that was rarely seen like this. The lights shot up and exploded beautifully with a bang! Everyone cheered as the whole town was coated in the color, but went silent-for just a second everything was hushed. The magic kicked in and colors moved into words. Simple words, really, that were taken for granted these days. It made Harry's eyes wide as the words reflected off his glasses, forever burning into the glass circles. He stared as the crowd suddenly awed all at once, quickly relating to the touching moment. Harry really felt happy then. He couldn't think, he couldn't speak, not even a blink would come from his silver eyes.

"I love you," written in beautiful red cursive burned in the sky. Harry stared until it faded, little sparkles of red falling like rain upon the crowd. He looked to Draco who stood staring with _that_ expression. Harry adored that expression; the soft touch of his eyes, the tiniest crook in the corner of his lips that made him smile honestly, his pale skin growing a bit of color. Harry felt his chest moving fast, like someone was slapping him over and over when it was actually his heart thudding so hard it made him pant slightly. His whole body was warm with emotion. He was so happy… he couldn't stand it.

Draco looked like he was about to say something, but Harry didn't let him. He was on him in seconds, arms wrapped around his neck and lips crashed together tightly. Draco wrapped one arm around his back to keep their bodies close and the other on his neck to keep the kiss together. It was better than any other kiss, full of so much passion that they could feel tingles echoing down their bodies until it formed goose bumps on their limbs. There was a feeling hovering in the air while the fireworks continued to explode above them. It was a queer feeling, one that was so sensational and so pure that it was like granting a wish. With or without a spell, the only wish they wanted, while being showered in beautiful colors of all sorts, was for time to stop. To love so much, they simply wanted that night to never end…

**SOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY! God, I'm so sorry it took so long to get this up. Here's my reason why, my computer got infected with viruses and completely shut down. My sister's boyfriends said he could fix it but it would take a while and it would delete everything on the computer. So for a week I had no computer and when he got it working, he was able to keep this chapter alive. So everyone thank my buddy Bran for getting this up sooner. Ugh that time period irritated me. I will never let that happen again, I swear. If I do, my fans have my permission to kill me xD The sixth chapter will be up soon, but I have school so be patient please. Thanks. Review and tell me what you think.**


	6. Sweet Presents

"You can _drive_?" Harry asked, astonished. He stood before a sweet candy-apple-red convertible with the black top up. The glossy paint shimmered in the hot sunlight that was beating down on them.

Draco walked around the red car to the driver's side and raised an eyebrow to him. "Yes. Do you think I'm a hermit or something when I'm at home during the summer?"

Harry blushed slightly and ran his hand across the roof of the car. "Well, no…" Actually, he never thought about life at home was like for Draco. He almost asked, but something-a tight, nervous feeling- closed up his throat and prevented him from doing so.

Draco leaned one arm on the roof and ran his fingers through his white hair that was a glossy silver in the bright daylight. "Well, we decided on getting ice cream here in town and I don't think it's a smart idea or _legal_ to poof up in the middle of the store in a crowd of muggles."

Harry gave him a soft smile and nodded. "True, but we could walk there, you know."

"In that case, I would've gotten this car for nothing."

"It makes a nice sidewalk trophy." Harry teased.

"Get in." Draco ordered bluntly.

Harry smiled and climbed in. The car was definitely new, the smell of fresh leather creating a comforting atmosphere. "Can you get us there without crashing?"

"I can kick you out while we're moving. Remember that." With Harry's laugh, they were off.

Harry figured it would've been awkward with Draco driving like this, but it surprisingly wasn't. With his stylish ordinary clothes and actually steering a car down a human city street, it made Draco seem…normal. Instead of that Slytherin smart ass that he had always seen, he was seeing the different side of him, the kind that was gentle and caring and….human, in a way. It was surprising that Draco wanted to go on dates, hold hands in public, and now he wanted to be with Harry in the muggle world-a place he despised. He was starting to wonder the famous question-_why_? But slowly he came to realize that it was for him. Doing things couples do, spending as much time with him as possible, driving a car, being around muggles; it was all for him. To make him feel comfortable and happy. Harry couldn't help but smile. He honestly loved this boy.

When they got to the ice cream store, Draco neatly parked and turned off the car. Harry climbed out normally, exhaling dramatically, "We're alive." Draco, however, took his time getting out. Harry easily saw by his stiffening nerves and slanted expression that he was uncomfortable. All around them were people, walking down the street, eating ice cream, riding their bikes pass them, driving away from the parking lot, and they were all human. That's what bugged Draco. He wasn't used to _muggles_. Harry felt a little guilty. "We don't have to be here. We can go somewhere…" He glanced around and lowered his voice. "You know, with magic, if you want."

"No," Draco said and shut the car door. "Anywhere is fine as long as I'm with you."

Harry felt a tug on his heart strings that caused his body to tilt forward and start walking. His face felt warm. That was just from the heat, right? It _was_ insanely hot. His shirt was already sticking to his damp body. That's why ice cream sounded like such a good idea. Still, when he passed by the reflecting glass windows of the store, he saw his face was a bright red, flushed directly under his eyes. Draco held the door open for him and gave him a sly smirk. When he walked by, he muttered, "You're cheeks are red."

"I-It's really hot." Harry said defensively and shuffled quickly inside.

Inside was cool and refreshing. The cold breeze that washed upon him was enough to relieve his body from the heat and even start to give him goose bumps. The shop was small so as they waited in line, Draco and him were shoulder to shoulder.

"So when did you learn to drive?" Harry asked.

Draco looked around the shop as if he was about to give away some big secret and didn't want anyone to hear. "Uh, when I was… thirteen? I think…"

Harry went to continue the conversation, but suddenly Draco yanked him closer, tugging on his opposite shoulder until he was practically on Draco. Harry watched the kids that were walking by stare with queer expressions. Just the fact that they were too close worried Draco. Harry grabbed his hand until he felt the tight fingers relax.

"You don't have to protect me. Not here." Draco gave his silver eyes a glance then looked away. His lips twisted uncomfortably. He was… embarrassed? That was new for Draco. Harry added merely to reassure him, "The only thing that can hurt us is food poisoning or bad prices."

Draco smiled, a soft smile, and he shook his head. "Muggles are very interesting…" His voice trailed off like he was going to say more, but held back for the safety of being polite.

Harry finished for him, "But weird?"

"Yes." Draco said tightly then gave him a glance, a lingering glance that made those golden eyes shine brighter than the simmering sun. Harry found himself staring, his body reheating until the store didn't feel so cold anymore. He felt a wave of heat going roll down his body from his ears to his toes, making him uncomfortable and nervous.

"Excuse me…sir?"

Harry finally snapped out of the trance when the lady at the counter was calling him. "Uh, y-yeah, sorry. Can I have a double scoop cone of chocolate chip ice cream?"

"Of course," the lady said sweetly then turned her eyes to Draco. "And for you?"

Draco shook his head. "Nothing."

Harry had the same confused expression as the girl before she turned away to get Harry's order. "You don't want anything?" He asked. Draco shook his head and that's when Harry remembered that Draco didn't trust muggles. He wouldn't take food from ones he didn't know. Nevertheless from a public place. It was unnatural to him.

Harry shrugged it off, feeling a little twitch of guilt hit him in the stomach, and grabbed for his wallet in his back pocket. As his body turned away, the warm lips came close to his ear, breathing a hot whisper that made him shiver.

"The only thing I want here is **you**."

Harry officially knew he was blushing now. The lady handed him his ice cream which he almost dropped in the process of taking it and quickly paid. He followed Draco outside, stammering and going weak under the heat. "Really, you don't behave anywhere, do you?"

Draco gave him a "confused" look that was full of tease. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Harry rolled his eyes and wrapped a napkin around his cone to keep the vanilla ice cream from dripping down his wrist. "Kissing in public, grabbing my butt, whispering dirty things."

"No one was paying attention." Draco said casually and climbed inside.

Harry followed him, still talking in an embarrassed rush. "Only that time! The other times we were in crowds and surrounded by staring-I repeat, _staring_ people."

"Good," Draco said as he buckled his seatbelt. "That way when people see us together, they stay away from you. I don't want to have to break out my wand to show what belongs to me and only me."

Harry laughed. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me-" Draco flashed him that dangerous look, but was caught off guard when he saw Harry in the process of licking his ice cream. The way he ran his tongue up the ball of milky white was…was…

Harry finally looked over, licking a drop of ice cream off his bottom lip. "What's wrong?"

"Uh… Nothing. I was using the wrong key." Draco pretended to fumble with his keys and got the car started. "Where should we go?" He asked as calmly as he could, suddenly feeling very anxious.

"I don't know… I would say back at the Dursley's, but they are home today."

"How'd you get out?"

"Just walked out. They didn't care." Harry bit his lip after that lie. He remembered Vermon screaming at him to not come back, but Harry was proud to storm out of the house. He had forgotten all about it after he met Draco down the street. He shook off the insecure feelings from the memory and said, "There's a park across town. Oh, but a lot of people go there."

"Hm…" Draco got distracted again. Something that he was trying to push away was eating at his nerves. He looked back to Harry who bit the top of his scoop of his desert treat. The white liquid surrounded his lips enticingly. Draco looked back to the road to see something red flash by in the corner of his eye.

"You just ran a stop sign."

Draco flinched. "What?"

"That was a stop sign back there."

"No, it wasn't."

Harry chuckled. "Yes, it was. You ran a stop sign. It was right back there-"

"All right, you don't even know how to drive yet and you're judging me?" Draco quickly took a sharp left. He knew where he wanted to go now. "I could teach you how to drive, you know."

Harry's silver eyes flashed, actually taking him seriously. "Really?"

"Yeah, I'll do it right now." Draco said slyly as he pulled up to a stoplight. He grabbed Harry's hand and put it on the steering wheel. "Here's the wheel, where you steer."

"I'm not an idiot."

"Here's the windshield wiper," he continued. He moved Harry's hand to every place he named, listing useless things until the end. "And here's the stick shift." Draco said and moved Harry's hand for his crotch.

Harry yanked his hand back so hard that it smacked into his seat. "Not funny!" He cried with a bright blush while Draco laughed. His chest was throbbing from his heart's intense thuds. His breathing was off from just that much dirty talk and he was trying to gain control of himself. To distract himself, he went back to his ice cream, licking all the drips and around the cone to keep from creating a mess.

Draco was glad he got Harry distracted because he didn't question him when he suddenly started taking back roads. He had no idea where he was heading, but he soon found what he wanted. A deep curve in a thrush of bushes. Tall trees cloaked the area in shadows and the large bushes hid the car perfectly as he rolled on the dirt patch. It was only then when they stopped that Harry noticed where they were.

"Hey, where-"

"Give me a lick." His voice was slightly demanding, but Harry hardly noticed. He silently held out the cone to the white haired boy. After undoing his seatbelt, Draco leaned forward before the treat could drip.

"I thought you didn't want any?" Harry asked before he took a lick.

He answered bluntly. "Well, now I do." Just as the tip of his tongue touched the ice cream, his golden eyes flickered up to him. The look in his eyes was deep and full of excitement. The expression he held, that sexy animal about to pounce look, made Harry's heart skip a beat.

_Oh God…_ The thought ran through his mind as his body flinched wildly, tipping the cone downward. Some of the melted desert dripped onto Draco's chest, making him pull back. "Oh! I-I'm sorry…" He automatically undid his seatbelt, reached out, and wiped the liquid off his chest as much as he could. He then pulled his finger back and stuck it in his mouth. Draco watched him lick his fingers, feeling his stomach turn wildly like an excited animal. When Harry looked back at him, he had to restrain himself from pouncing.

"Lick it." He heard himself say.

"What?"

Draco pulled at his shirt. "It'll stain if you don't get all the ice cream off."

Harry blushed and looked away immediately. "No way. That's-"

The slender finger sent chills as it grazed his chin. When the pressure increased, turning into a real touch, Harry allowed it to move his head toward the white haired fiend. He pulled his body forward, making him lean toward the stain. Harry sighed and gave in. He rested his hand with the ice cream on the steering wheel and the other on the back of Draco's seat. Then with his cheeks burning and throbbing with embarrassment, he leaned down and licked his shirt. The fabric was slightly smooth, making it easy to get the ice cream off. Yet, the desert had spilled and dripped down his shirt, sinking deep into the fabrics and leaving a white trail. Harry licked lower, feeling Draco's tight body easily under the thin clothes. Draco grew tense. He could feel Harry's tongue on him as if the shirt wasn't there. It was arousing to watch your lover lick up and down your chest. Harry even closed his lips around his shirt, pinching his skin, and sucked. That's when Draco lost it.

Draco grabbed Harry's cheek and pulled his head up. He kissed him hard, crashing their lips together quickly. Harry flinched and grunted, his body falling back, but Draco wrapped an arm around him and held him close. His lips parted in a gasp which Draco took as an invite and slipped his tongue inside. The kiss grew tighter as they sucked and licked at the other's mouth, sending shivers of delight down their bodies. Harry only had one hand for leverage since he was still holding the cone in his other. He grabbed at Draco's chest which, being sideways, didn't help at all. Draco's hand, in the meantime, had grabbed Harry's leg where his groping fingers were slowly heading for his crotch. His body curled in and shuddered, feeling a hot and cold rush hit him all at the same time.

His strength gave in and his body reeled back. Draco followed, only pulling away when Harry's head jerked back. "W-Wait, Draco," he panted and tried to fix his position on the tiny seat. "T-The ice cream…"

Draco pulled at the lever on the side of Harry's seat, dropping it down into a laying position. Harry fell back without warning and gave out a surprised gasp, some of the ice cream spilling onto his chin. Draco climbed on top of him, having to crouch until their bodies touched because of the lack of space in the car. "It's melting," he responded in a husky, excited tone and licked the liquid under his lip.

Harry squirmed to try and sit up, but Draco was suddenly hovering over him, refusing him to do so. "B-But this is a new car."

Draco smirked and mounted him with just enough room to sit up a bit. "I know," he said smoothly. He slowly slid his hand up Harry's shirt, grazing his skin with just the lightest touch to give him goose bumps. Harry grunted and uttered out a soft cry from the arousing feeling-the cold fingers crawling up his burning body like an ice-cold snake sent to arouse him. He had no way to fight him either since one hand was holding the ice cream above his head and the other was caught around the head of the seat. Draco leaned closer upon his trapped prey and whispered, "So don't drop it."

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat when Draco's eyes flashed sexily. Then he was blinded and his body jerked from a sudden tug. Draco forced his shirt over his head and let it sit tight and tangled around his arms, locking them crossed behind his head. Harry went to argue, but was stopped by a soft peck. The warm lips kissed his collar bone, shocking his nerves all the way down his body. He moved his kisses down his body, growing more and more intense the farther he went. Harry's eyes widened when he got to his waist, but was relieved when Draco came back up, dragging his tongue across his smooth skin, tingling him straight down to his toes.

A small gasp escaped the brunette's lips from the move and made Draco chuckle. He caressed his nipple after that and made Harry grunt. "D-Don't." Draco didn't respond and merely smiled at him, then leaned down. Harry's opened mouth-ready to shout- was choked up when his tongue ran across his nipple. It hardened instantly, and his body twitched under him. Draco grinded his teeth gently around the hardened body part until Harry was squirming and flinching like crazy under him. Finally he bit down on his nipple, nibbling on it just the slightest bit in a tiny pinch. Harry moaned hard enough to echo, then tried to hide his face instantly.

"You're really sensitive today." Draco whispered onto his skin and kissed his way up to his neck.

Harry's chest heaved up and down as he panted. "I-It's been three weeks…"

He tilted his head down so he could meet Draco's lips, getting into another hot kiss that sent his nerves over the edge. Draco crawled his fingers through the brunette's hair and ran his tongue across the roof of his mouth. His kisses were cold, the wet touch of his tongue making Harry shiver, but his touches were like fire. They heated up every inch of Harry's body as they slid down him, cupping his sides and bracing his hips. He gasped when he tugged on the front of his jeans, their lips separating only slightly, but still grazing the surface of each other's. Draco nibbled on them, making Harry groan and shift under him. One hand went to his lower back, lifting up his hips so Draco could easily slide down his pants and underwear. Draco kissed him again before he could argue.

The kisses were suddenly tighter, like they were unconsciously starving for each other and tried to get as many bites out of the other as they could. Their heads slid past each other's easily, licking the other's mouth thoroughly and sucking as hard as they could until they couldn't breathe. Draco cupped Harry's face with one hand, crawling through his dark hair and touching every single inch of skin he could on his cheek, neck, and chest all while they kissed. His other hand was kept on his waist. For a bit he messaged his hips, groped closer to his inner thighs, and stroked the curve of his cheeks. Then he clamped his hand around his crotch, making Harry jump and curl up his legs instantly.

Their lips separated, but only to turn their heads the other way and reunite their lips. They kissed even deeper, their heads as close as possible and their mouths open wide. Harry was getting lost in it, the way Draco's tongue overpowered his own and licked every inch of his mouth was truly arousing. He then felt his cool fingers wrapping tighter around him, squeezing him tight at his core and starting to move. The moment he started to stroke him, Harry's stomach dropped. It was amazing, almost frightening how good it felt to be touched by him again. It completely surrounded him, the unbelievable pleasure securing him in place and tightening up his body.

He whipped his head away, separating their lips again. "N-No!" He moaned and heard his voice echo slightly around him. Draco didn't listen. He kissed his exposed neck softly, planting soft pecks down his adams-apple and following down the center of his chest. Harry's head tilted back and his eyes closed for just a second. The erotic feeling of your lover's cool lips kissing their way down your scorching body was enough to drive anyone over the edge. When he got too low, however, Harry picked his head back up. "Wait, Draco," he panted and stopped the white haired boy at his waist. "P-Please, don't.." He begged with lusty, glazed over eyes.

Draco remained silent and only gave him that devilish smile. Harry's silver eyes pinched closed when Draco's tongue came in contact with him head-on. He licked the tip quickly, followed by a slow, lingering lick all around his head. Harry moaned right away, but closed his lips and whimpered out muffled, horny cries in an attempt to be quiet. Every sound they made was echoing around them, as if they were in some kind of movie put on surround-sound just to tease him. As if that wasn't bad enough, Draco nibbled on the tip, causing Harry's body to jerk under him.

He forgot about the ice cream shortly after he had laid down. He felt the cold touch running down his fingers, the melted ice cream dripping down to his wrist. Since he was so hot, so excited, and so weak, the cone was falling out of his hand. He unconsciously gripped it tighter, refusing to drop it and lose the challenge Draco had dared him to. Still, it was hard to concentrate on keeping a hold of anything when the cold tongue was beginning to run up and down the sides of him. Harry's body squirmed and twitched as that anxious, excited feeling began to swell up inside him. The feeling where he felt so good, that his body was looking forward to the next touch, begging for the next lick, and screaming for a salacious bite or two. He was moaning hard with his pants before he knew it.

"Please, D-Draco!" He cried to the roof of the car and dropped his head back. "I-I'm gonna d-drop it…"

Draco was sucking him tight at this point, his lips wrapped tight around only the tip to drive him crazy. He pulled away with a smirk and spoke with more tease than a warning. "You better not." Draco cupped his hand around Harry's entrance and began to stroke him there. With his entrance already wet and twitching, Draco knew he wasn't going to last long. He kissed his way back up his chest, sucking his skin on every kiss to leave little love bites. Harry was weak under him, eyes closed and panting like crazy. The lustful expression on his face made Draco hard upon seeing it. In turn, his wild instincts kicked in and he pushed one of his fingers at his entrance until it slipped far inside.

The pure erotic feeling made Harry came instantly. He threw his head back and his horny cry echoed all around the car. His body tightened up as the pleasure he had been saving up for three weeks finally burst. After a quick jolt and groan, he went limp in the seat and tried to catch his breath. Draco, staring at his lover covered in the sticky white liquid, smiled and crawled over him. Harry picked up his head and was finally able to sit up slightly. He grabbed Draco's face and kissed him tightly, sucking on his lips in one long kiss. When they pulled away, gold met with silver in the perfect way and they stared until time stopped.

Harry gave him a defeated half-smile, half-pout and panted, "I dropped it…"

Draco kept his expression bold and responded in a husky voice, "Then I'll have to punish you."

They kissed again, a soft, quick peck that drew each other closer. They stopped, though, a mere pause, and reunited their gazes. That's when Harry saw it. _That_ look, that hungry, craving desire resting in those golden eyes. That lusty look he hadn't seen since the departure day on the Hogwarts train. That restless, stubborn gaze that said he wasn't going to stop until he got what he wanted and Harry knew he was willingly going to give it to him.

The next kiss was like the first kiss they ever shared, lustful and passionate-one that made you stop thinking and surrender. The one where it was all you wanted, to touch those lips, get more of them, as much as you could. They were kissing harder, faster, throwing their whole bodies into the messy kisses, grinding, biting, and sucking all at once.

While holding onto such a kiss, Harry crawled backwards. He climbed off the seat with Draco following him and moved to the back of the car. Their lips separated for only a second so Harry could climb onto the backseat. Draco mounted him and they kissed again, hands running through their hair and cupping each other's faces. Then Harry pushed Draco back and he got on his lap. He hugged his body tight and sucked at his lips, making the kiss deeper. Draco held him close and let his hands slowly fall down his body. He groped every inch of his skin down to his hips where he curved his hand to his cheeks. Harry pulled away with a shiver, but Draco pulled him back. He quickly slipped a finger inside him and made him moan.

"D-Draco!" He panted and hid his face from the staring boy. He started to rub him tightly inside, adding two more fingers that his entrance squeezed tightly. "N-…No more…"

Draco almost moaned at the words, but he held himself back the best he could. "Not yet," he whispered into the brunette's ear and clamped his teeth around the soft earlobe in an arousing bite.

Harry moaned again and tugged on the white hair until the golden eyes met his again. "I-I can't… wait anymore… Please, hurry…"

Draco kissed him deeply, his tongue practically going down his throat, and he shoved his fingers deep to the point where Harry's hips bucked forward. Harry yanked away again and shuddered in his arms. "It's been a while…" Draco said in excited pants. Harry stopped for a second and watched Draco cup his face gently with that earnest, but wild look in his golden gaze. "I have to prepare you right. I don't want to hurt you."

Harry slowly smiled and grabbed the hand on his cheek. "That's never stopped you before." Before Draco could argue, the brunette gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I'll be fine. I promise. Now… don't make me wait anymore."

When you're a man like Draco Malfoy, doing your hardest to restrain yourself for your lover's sake, and he goes and says something like that… All of your senses and sanity practically break at that point. He kissed him hard and pulled him close to him till their was no space between them. He then lined himself up with the excited, twitching hole and lowered his lover down. He quickly thrusted in at the same time as Harry rocked back into the seat. He choked on a scream as Draco shoved himself in as deep as he could go, pausing shortly to ease up on him. It hurt, of course, it was unbelievably painful to be stretched open so far and deep, but the pleasure-Oh, God, how he missed it. It heated up his whole body, shocking all his senses with pleasure and desire. After being untouched for so long, this was exactly what he needed. His body numbed it fast and he was hot and heavy under the white haired boy.

Draco leaned down and kissed his wet eyes, wiping away the tears as he embraced him. "Does it hurt?"

Harry struggled to get his breathing right, but only panted harder. He smiled weakly and nodded. Draco kissed him tightly and scooped his arms under Harry's body. He picked him up until his upper half was leaning against the car and his lower half was his. He spread his legs and bucked his hips forward, thrusting straight in far and deep. Harry gasped and clawed the leather seat and wall behind him. He moved faster, building the pleasure up so fast that neither of them could handle it. They both lost control, drowning in the sheer lustful feeling that ripped through both of their bodies. Harry's body bounced with every thrust and moaned Draco's name with every pant. Yet, every noise they made continued to echo around them, ringing in their ears and repeating over and over. It only aroused them more, but Harry grew embarrassed when he heard his horny cries and covered his mouth.

Draco pushed at his waist, Harry's hips rolled back, and he thrusted hard. He hit him head-on with his prostate, hitting his sweet spot that was enough to drive him over the edge. He shouted in a salacious moan and his body jolted so bad that he lost his grip on the seat. He snatched Draco, wrapping his arms around him to hold him tighter. Draco scooted the brunette up higher until he was completely against the car wall and he shoved inside harder. He held his hips down tight on his lap and started going faster, sliding out to the tip and rushing back in to that spot. He watched his lover moan and go crazy from the unimaginable pleasure taking over all of his senses.

Draco cupped Harry's face when it turned away from embarrassment and leaned in close. He paused for merely a second to whisper, "Harry," then he thrusted in so deep that Harry's body opened up wider, filling him up with a whole new pleasure. The brunette screamed and clung to the white haired fiend as he started to rock hard. He was bouncing so fast that he couldn't speak right, nevertheless breathe correctly.

"D-Draco!" He moaned hard and whimpered at the sound of his cries echoing around him. "Draco! Draco!"

Draco kissed him hard, engulfing his lips and sucking the very air out of his cries. They clutched to each other as their bodies tightened up from the overflowing pleasure. They both came with hard groans that filled the other with lusty acceptance. Soon they were covered in the sticky substance and they fell limp together. Harry laid weakly against the wall with Draco on top of him, panting and smiling. Their eyes met and they both chuckled dirtily.

Harry wiped his wet mouth and said shyly, "I think I have to be more cautious on our dates now."

Draco smirked and responded with tease. "Oh, not really. I'll just take you out somewhere in public, buy you something sweet again, and then take you when no one **or everyone** is looking."

"Don't even think about that, you stupid pervert!"

Out in the middle of nowhere, a car sat in the shadows with the magical laughter of two lovers thoroughly enjoying themselves…

**Once again, I am so sorry for the wait. There's school and it's only the third week and I already have big projects due on Monday. Yet, instead of learning about Christopher Columbus and studying the elements, I wrote this xD Again sorry it took so long. Its just a little hard to write a chapter like this when you're parents are standing right over your shoulder. "Hey honey what you writing?"**

"**Oh, just my usual porn." XD so im sorry for the wait, I hope this makes up for it a bit. More coming soon. Review a lot and tell me what you think and I'll skip out on homework more often for this x)**


	7. All about 'him'

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm glad things at home are getting better. My parents got in a fight the other day, but they quickly resolved it out. I really want to do normal things like go to the movies, but the only people I really want to go with are you and Ron, who's being annoying again. I've only gotten like two letters back from him. The jerk. Anyway, it's good to hear that you and him are going out! You're lucky he's seventeen. I wish Ron would use his first legal spell to see me like D-He did. Sorry, I won't write his name. Anyway, have fun! I hope the Dursley's don't bother you too much, and the same with __**Him**__. =)_

_Love, Hermione._

**Dear Harry,**

**Did I ever mention how annoying girls are? You're lucky you only got one. I got my mother and Ginny to worry about all the time. Then yesterday Hermione sent me one of those talking letters and she was screaming the entire time! Honestly, I don't know why she's so upset at me all the time. Bloody irritating. On the other hand, "Him", huh? Well, as long as you're happy. If he does anything though, you better not pull any girly crap and hide it. Tell me so I can blow his bloody head off, got it? And if he calls me ginger or Weasley one more time, I'm not holding back! Especially if he calls Hermione 'Mudblood'! Oh yeah, you're birthday's coming up. I'd be excited if I were you and plan an escape route from that hell you're in. Remember I'm always here for you. ****Don't**** write back soon. Hermione's already writing enough. =P**

**Ron**

Harry tucked the papers away and began to respond. To Hermione he said that Ron would turn around eventually because that's just the way he is and is irritated by his family all the time. He liked Hermione's letters because she was as nice and formal in them as in person. He could tell her anything in writing as well as face-to-face. Ron, however, was as blunt as normal. He explained that Draco wouldn't do such things and that he needed to get along with his family better. As he was searching through the stack of books and papers, a light _snap_ and _hiss_ echoed behind him. He didn't need to turn to know what had happened and was smiling large and wide long before the warm arms slid around his chest.

Draco leaned down from behind Harry in the chair and clamped his teeth around the brunette's ear in an arousing bite. Harry flinched and laughed when his tongue ran over his ear afterwards. He pulled his head away and looked behind him. "Hey," Draco said softly before kissing him tightly.

Harry pretended to be more focused on the letters and turned back around. "Hi," he said casually. "You always come at the most random times, you know that?" As soon as Harry said it, despite the fact that it was true, he realized that he was used to it and was actually expecting Draco's next untimely visit.

Draco got beside him so Harry had no choice but to turn his attention to the white haired fiend. "But you love it," Draco said slyly, as if reading his mind. He also did that bounce of his eyebrows that made his golden eyes gleam with excitement.

Harry forced his attention downward and gathered up the two letters he had finished writing. "Ron and Hermione wrote again," he informed him even though Draco probably didn't care.

"Hm." Draco grunted uninterestedly as he leaned against the desk. He watched Harry fumble around for two envelopes but having no luck. He groaned and started taking out paper after paper, not really looking at them and only aiming for an envelope. Draco found it amusing how such an organized boy couldn't find something he had misplace. He went to help him before he spotted one of the letters he had written. An evil thought came to his mind when he noticed that he could tease Harry for it. Yet, as he picked it up, he spotted the title as _Dear Draco_. This was addressed to him.

Harry glanced over at him, surprised that he was silent, and found one of the letters. Usually he wouldn't care until he realized that it was the letter he wrote, but didn't send, to Draco. "Oh no," he said flatly and reached for it. "Don't read that." Draco pulled away and Harry jumped to his feet. "No, Draco, seriously. T-That's… Just give it! Draco!"

He jumped at him, but Draco easily shoved him away, his eyes glued to the letter. Harry gave up, knowing he wouldn't win against him and he watched his eyes move quickly across the paper. He was smiling the entire time and when he finished, his smile seemed to grow deeper. Harry looked away, embarrassed, when the golden eyes surrounded him. When Draco took a step toward him, Harry felt his face burning hotter than a blue flame and whirled away. Draco still wrapped his arms around him in a tight embrace.

"Why didn't you send it?" He asked in a low, husky voice to his ear.

Harry ripped the paper out of his hands and refused to look at him, embarrassed beyond words. "It's stupid."

"Well, yes," Draco said in a tease and turned Harry towards him, "but cute." He put a single finger on his chin and lifted the brunette's head up. He gazed into the lingering silver pools surrounded by the deep flush of red and smiled. "That's why I love you so much."

He leaned down and kissed him again. Harry hesitated for a second, feeling completely exposed and humiliated from the letter. Yet, the kiss seemed to revive him. It was Draco, the man he loved. Being embarrassed was a natural thing with a guy like him. He snapped his arms around Draco's shoulders and jumped at him. He got as close as he possibly could and kissed him harder. His lips were sweet and bitter at the same time, soft and rough all at once. It was like opening a Christmas gift early, having no idea what it was. Kissing him was so wonderful and mysterious at the same time that it made Harry want more.

When he pulled away, he buried his face in Draco's chest. "I-I wanted to send it…" He said slowly and finished on a tired exhale, "but I was worried your father would get it… or something."

Draco sighed, too and stroked the deep auburn hair nuzzling under his chin. "True… But we do have sneaky owls."

Harry took a minute to take in the words, then fully faced him while still at a close distance. "What… What are you saying?"

"I can't see you everyday and my parents might lock me up for stupid family things. On those days, I could send Bubo bubo out for a light…flight into the muggle world."

A light feeling began to swell up inside Harry at the thought of them sending letters to each other for the next two months. Yet, his stomach dropped to his toes. "But… someone could trace them and if they find out… Your parents… I mean, wouldn't it be troublesome? Won't your parents recognize Hedwig when I send her?"

Draco shook his head. "My parents won't see her. And if they do somehow, they'll believe me when I say I don't know who's bloody bird it is."

"But…"

Draco thought it over and ruffled the brunette's hair. "Forget it. You're right, it's too troublesome. I can't have you in any trouble."

Harry regretted every word he said after that. He would've loved to send Draco letters back and forth, but what he said was right. If they were to get caught, it would mean the end of the world. All the talk of letters reminded of the two unsent letters on his desk. "Oh yeah. I still gotta finish Hermione's and Ron's." He pulled away and started searching for two envelopes only to become fruitless again. "Ugh, come on. Where are they?"

Draco smiled and in one slick motion, pulled out his wand and flicked his wrist. Two envelopes slipped out of the open drawer from under a book. They floated up and hovered in Harry's face until he grabbed them from the air. He glanced at Draco behind him who only smirked. The brunette turned away again, blushing once again.

Draco chuckled and dropped down onto his squeaky bed. "Really, I don't see how you can live in a single room for three months."

Harry rolled his eyes impatiently while he packed the letters. "Well, it's not your perfect vacation, that's for sure."

Draco didn't respond and for good reason. He knew _exactly_ what it was like to be alone for so long. His mother stuck by his father and his father stuck with… It was nerve wracking, sitting alone in the dark, watching your age increase until you were old enough to join the party. Except Draco didn't want to join it. He rather enjoyed that lonely dark corner rather than be with _Him_. Until one day a light showed up. Through an interesting way, a light had broken through the thick blackness and actually brought him to his feet. The sweet brunette had actually shown him happiness in his life and it made him want to escape the darkness forever.

Thinking about such a thing, he smiled at the brunette's back sitting in front of him and leaned onto his knees. With a playful smile, he said, "So you dreamed about me, huh?"

"I-It was only once!" Harry lied, suddenly fumbling with fitting the letter inside the envelope.

Draco got back to his feet and got behind him. "I think you're lying."

"I'm not."

"I'm sure you are." He got behind his ear and whispered sexily, "I bet you've had dirty dreams with me, haven't you." Harry embarrassedly whipped around, going to shove the white haired fiend away, but Draco snatched his wrists and pulled him close. "Don't deny it. I bet you have at least one time. I know I have."

Harry gasped and opened his mouth to respond, but quickly closed it. His blush deepened and he gave Draco's chest a light shove, stuttering loudly, "P-Pervert!"

"Speaking of which," Draco said as he pulled him away from the desk. He shoved Harry onto the creaking bed and climbed on top of him "I still have to jump you on this bed. Your screams will match the creaks _perfectly_."

Harry went to argue yet again, but ended up laughing. He squirmed so Draco couldn't get a serious grip on him and laughed as he tried to get away. "You're such a-!" Before he could finish, Draco trapped his face in his hands and kissed him tightly. Harry started to struggle, until Draco's tongue slipped between his lips. His strength faded almost immediately and he stopped fighting. Instead, he snaked his arms around Draco's shoulders and pulled him up higher on him. Draco licked his teeth and Harry tapped his tongue, challenging it to a fight. Soon, they were in a fierce make-out, heads turning, hands crawling up and down, and tongues battling like never before. They were in a sexy bliss yet again, fingers crawling through each other's hair, groping the other's tight chest, nibbling on each other's lips, stealing the other's breath away, getting completely excited until-

"Harry!" The rough voice echoed from downstairs. Harry squinted in the middle of a kiss. Of all timings to be summoned, it had to be now. He went to pull away, but Draco cupped his face, tilted his head back, and kissed him even deeper. His tongue thoroughly raped his mouth and sent shivers of delight across every inch of his skin, making him quickly forgot about the scream until it repeated. "Harry!"

Harry forced himself to pull away and pushed at Draco's chest to let him up. "Hold on."

"You could ignore him, you know." Draco suggested, obviously wanting to return to the sweet kisses.

"I know, but that makes him come up here." Harry flashed him a weak smile and walked to the door. He whipped it open and peered through the thin railing. "What?"

"What are you doing up there? You have chores to do!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "They're all done."

"What about the laundry?"

"I did it all yesterday," Harry groaned.

"You mean you did _your_ clothes. You plan on letting our clothes rot forever-you selfish brat!"

Harry sighed, feeling even worse than when Draco found the letter. That was just humiliating. This was plain shameless. "I'll be right back," Harry said without turning around. He ran through the rooms and finished the chore as fast as he could, gatherig the clothes and throwing them in with lightening speed. When he returned to his room, he jumped when Draco wasn't there. His heart sank for a split second, feeling like a complete fool, until the door slammed behind him. He jumped around and found Draco leaning on the wall behind it, chuckling vilely.

"Got you," the white haired fiend teased and approached him.

Harry dropped down onto the bed after Draco collapsed onto it, sprawled out on his back. "I thought you left."

"Well, I should get my money's worth first, shouldn't I?" He smiled and met the silver pools, hoping to see his reflection in it that reminded him that he was always apart of the brunette. However, the precious eyes seemed tired and shy as Harry smiled softly and looked away. Draco's tease melted away. He hated seeing that beautiful glow around Harry being torn off by someone else. It wasn't fair. "You should fight back," Draco said seriously, even though the words were dangling in the air long before he spoke them. "You don't have to deal with his shit. Shove him back!" Harry remained silent for a minute, not knowing what to say. Draco sat up behind him and said with all seriousness, "I know a few spells. Just say it and…"

Harry shook his head. He still didn't speak. There was no point in talking when all he wanted to say was in the obvious. Draco sighed and grabbed Harry's hand who quickly squeezed it back. His hands were so rough, clearly from working too hard. In the back of Draco's mind, Harry was his property and the fact that they were working him to the bone was too much for him to handle.

"All right, that's it. I'll save you." He said and jumped to his feet.

Harry peered up at him through his glasses. "What?"

Draco leaned close to him and said in a low voice, "You're giving off that maiden in distress vibe, saying 'Help me! Help me!' But don't worry princess!" He said dramatically, pulling Harry to his feet. "I'm going to save you _in every way possible_." He ended his sentence with a surprising smack on Harry's behind, making him jolt and laugh. Seeing his smile, Draco felt relieved. "Where you want go?" he asked calmly.

Harry thought on it for a minute and remembered Hermione's letter. "How about the movies?" Draco cringed. His eyes narrowed and he glanced away for a second. Of course, the muggle world was irritating to him. Before he could argue, Harry spoke up. "Don't hate it so much. You've never been to a theatre, right? C'mon, you'll like it. I promise."

Draco sighed and ran his fingers through his snow white hair. "M-…Humans are annoying, but I'll do anything for you so…. What time?"

Harry didn't respond for a minute. Hearing Draco say those words to him so directly was… touching. He felt unbelievably happy again and was hugging him before he knew it. Draco went to question him for embracing him so slowly and softly, but let it slide. Instead he pulled him closer and kissed him softly on the head. The only thought running through his head at that point was, _If only I could hold him like this forever…._

…**...**

When they reached the movies, Draco was obviously irritated. Even though going to the ice cream store seemed easy, the theatre was larger and a lot more crowded. He stared at the lady behind the glass window wondering if she was back there to protect herself from the other muggles getting tickets from her. Harry ordered two tickets for some action/thriller film and dragged Draco to the door. Even though it was unbelievably warm outside, the refreshing cool air surrounded them instantly. Draco stayed close by his property as they walked across the lobby to another counter. Harry paused before it, a little puzzled.

"Do you want some popcorn or candy?" He asked shyly. "It's, like, the normal thing to do… Like get a bag of popcorn or some chocolate… You know what, never mind-"

Draco smiled and pulled him back from running away. "Get whatever you want." He loved the way how Harry was trying to be equal with him. "I don't know how these muggle things work so.. Just buy something, okay?"

Harry relaxed and did that. When he bought a bag of jelly beans and a soda, he remembered the time in their first year of Hogwarts when they all sat around the dorm room, testing each flavor of the queer beans to see what someone got. He laughed when he retold the story to Draco. "I remember some kid got 'volcano'. His mouth was numb for days."

Draco nodded. "I remember the first time I had those. Not very tasty flavors, I say."

Harry studied him as they walked and slowly added up the clues. "Wait…" He slowly smiled. "You didn't get…'vomit', did you?" When Draco only glanced at him, he broke up laughing. "Ah, that's gross!"

"I shoved the rest up Doyle's nose since he was the one who gave it to me." His body relaxed when he saw Harry smiling again. It was a nice sight to see, his silver eyes bright with joy and gleaming under the glasses, and his skin practically glowing. "So where are we going anyway?"

"Down this hall," Harry answered as they turned the corner. "We have to go into that theatre right there."

The hallway was long and crowded. It had a dozen doors on each side all with the movie titles showing that day posted above the handle on each door. There were crowds of people, too, standing all over the place. As they made their way through, Draco felt easily uncomfortable. He glared at everyone, knowing they were all dirty animals. Some people were glancing at his dirty looks, but then he noticed something.

Was everyone… staring at Harry? How many people were checking him out? Draco looked behind them and found some lingering stares. He growled immediately. Of course, going to a public place meant you had to show off your property except Draco wasn't in the mood to share.

Suddenly someone sneezed next to Harry. A harmless act, really, but Draco snatched Harry away from the boy like he had some deadly disease from being human. Harry gave him that solemn look again, the one from the ice cream shop. Draco knew he had nothing to worry about, but being around so many loose beasts was too dangerous to let his guard down.

Harry rolled his eyes and led him to a wide pair of wooden doors. With his arm still around Harry's shoulders, he opened the door for him and slipped inside. The room was dark and made it hard to see. It was skinny hallway, they could tell at least that much from the small ray of light they were receiving ahead. Draco glanced down to Harry and only saw the slight reflection off his glasses twinkling in the darkness. He was completely cloaked in shadows…. Draco didn't like it. He pulled Harry closer.

When they came around the corner, they came upon a fairly large room with a huge screen that covered the whole front wall and a hundred seats. Draco saw people resting in the back so when Harry asked, "Where do you wanna sit?" he pointed near the front. They found seats in the middle and sat quietly down.

"So what do people usually do here besides watch movies?" Draco asked as previews started to roll across the large screen.

Harry glanced at him, blushed, and looked away. "Um… Well normally, they just hang out in the arcade until the movie starts, but…" He paused and Draco watched him shift uncomfortably in his seat. "But on dates they, um…" Harry looked behind them and slowly pointed. "That."

Draco glanced and witnessed a couple thoroughly making out, sharing a chair, and going pretty far for a public place. His eyes widened a bit. He wasn't expecting that. Why did muggles do such crude things? He sighed loudly and returned his arm around the brunette's. "You're really tempting me, you know that?"

Harry's face burned and he whipped his head away when Draco started to lean in. "I-I came here to watch the movie!"

Draco chuckled and gave him a soft kiss on his temple. "I know." Although he said that, his playful tone sounded more along the lines of, "Sure you did."

Soon the movie started and Harry seemed to zone out. When was the last time he went to the movies? What made him think this was a good date? Draco was probably bored out of his mind though. Although he chose something he though Draco would like, he didn't even ask if Draco liked watching movies. He started to feel uneasy and was about to walk out of the theatre. Then Draco wrapped his other arm around him and pulled him against him. Harry was leaning on his warm chest in his complete embrace, facing the screen. It didn't seem like a bad idea anymore.

The film started in the middle of the action with some half-naked teenage girl sprinting through a forest. Rabid dogs were on her heels, making her scream and sob until it echoed in the trees around her. Eventually the dogs caught her and held her down with a limb in each of their bloody jaws. As they pinned her to the forest floor, a shadow of someone fell over here where she dramatically whispered, "It's you," before he killed her.

It was a capturing beginning, but Harry was completely out of it. His new thoughts focused on the people behind him. Was making out in a theatre like that actually okay? He always saw it in movies or books. Plus, it was just a natural thing to people. Being alone in the dark with someone you liked. The warmth of their hand seemed more entertaining than the movie they paid for. Harry never understood it until now.

The warmth of Draco's arms around him made the theatre no longer cold. He could feel Draco's muscles tight against his shoulders, knowing that he was safe right where he was. His mind drifted back to kissing. Of course, he loved kissing Draco, but…they were in a movie theatre. Others did it. It was natural… But they were in a movie theatre! That seemed to be his only excuse and it wasn't strong enough. He could always forget about it and _try_ and focus back on the movie that he hadn't heard of until today. Yet, he caught Draco's sweet scent enveloping around him. His body was suddenly on fire. In the dark of the theatre and the stillness of the scene, he felt his heart thudding hard against his chest. In his back, he could feel the slight thump of Draco's heartbeat. He wanted to hear it. He wanted to touch his chest and feel it pound under his fingertips. He wanted to…

Harry suddenly found his attention looking over his shoulder. The lights danced across Draco's face and made his golden eyes glisten with a million different colors. His heart skipped a beat when they looked at Harry and trapped him in a mesmerizing stare. The movie seemed to drain from their attention and they were only surrounded by shadows and silence. Harry gasped somewhere inside when Draco gently removed his glasses, completely blinding him. Then he pulled Harry closer and kissed him.

Normally they started off slow and worked their way into a make-out session. But not here. Harry practically pounced on him, wrapping his arms around his neck, and opened his mouth as an invitation. Draco gladly took it and slowly rolled his tongue over he roof of his mouth. He inspected every inch of his mouth until Harry fought him and shoved his tongue in Draco's mouth. Just as he licked his teeth, Draco won the battle and stole all of his breath. Meanwhile their hands went on an adventure as well. Since Harry was crouched up against Draco, basically kneeling on his seat, his hands could only rub up and down Draco's chest while they kissed. Draco, however, had every space available of Harry's body. His hands traveled up and down his back, soothing him with long, slow strokes to entice him more. Then they moved to his hips where they messaged them all around to tease him.

They didn't know how long they were at it for, but soon Harry was shivering and out of breath from just kissing. They were pressed tight together, Harry hovered over Draco, and their minds were somewhere else. They were going fast and hard until someone from the movie screamed. Another girl about to be murdered, so it was a high pitch shrill scream that made Harry jolt so hard that the kiss ended. He sat back down in his seat, embarrassed and faced the screen.

Draco handed him back his glasses he had set on the ground and whispered, "Scared?"

"No!" Harry snapped in a hushed voice and returned his glasses.

Draco chuckled and put his arm back around him. "Don't worry. I got you."

Harry felt the glass resting like ice on his flaming cheeks. He grabbed the bag of candy again and quickly ate some. Even so, no matter how many he ate, he couldn't get the addicting taste of Draco out of his mouth….

…**...**

As Harry laid in bed the next day, remembering the date, he felt suddenly restless. He was constantly bouncing back from happy, to shocked, to embarrassed, then back to happy. Draco drove him crazy, even though he would never admit it out loud. Maybe in another letter…

Harry rubbed his face tiredly and forced his body up. He would get Draco out of his mind for at least one minute. Other wise he would surely go crazy. He trotted downstairs without even realizing he hadn't touched a single chore. The thought of them irritated him. They weren't _his_ clothes, he pointed out to himself. Those weren't _his_ dishes or _his_ collectables. Technically, he didn't have to do them. He moved silently to the kitchen and made him some toast. By the time he was adding butter, Petunia came into the kitchen with surprise. She quickly whirled out and returned with Vermon.

"Boy," the pig said slowly, "what do you think you're doing."

"Eating," Harry answered bluntly. _Something __**you**__ know a lot about._

Vermon pointed to the other room. "What about the chores?"

"I'm not doing them." Harry said tightly and took a bite of toast. "You should be able to do them yourself after watching me do them for four years."

Vermon's eyes widened and he looked just a bit insane. He pointed fiercely again and said harsh and loud, "Go do those chores **now**!"

Harry felt a twitch in his body, giving up and saying to just go do them. But another side was bolder and denied it. After wrapping his food in napkins, he faced the pig and horse and said clearly, "No."

"What did you say?"

"I said no. I'm turning seventeen soon, which I know you don't care about. But I'm not a child anymore. You can do your own dirty work." Harry spotted Dudley peeking around the archway, ease dropping on the scene. Harry rolled his eyes and headed for the exit.

Vermon quickly snatched Harry's forearm and yanked him harshly back. "You little brat-!"

"Get your hands off me!" Harry snapped and smacked his arm away. He stormed off now, but Vermon was right behind him, tugging at his shirt to drag him back.

"How dare you disrespect us, then walk away-"

"Disrespect?" Harry shouted, spinning on the following animals. "You're talking about disrespect? Don't make me laugh! You sorry excuse for people wouldn't know a single thing about real respect."

Of course, Vermon played the sympathetic card and started to rant. "We took you in when you're parent's died-"

"Oh, shut up!" Harry screamed at all three of them. "You act like you're the perfect family, but you're not! I've said it once and I'll say it again-I'm not your bloody slave! I don't care what the neighbors think of you and I don't care what you think of me! You're not my family. And you're _definitely_ not my parents." Vermon opened his mouth to argue, but Harry jumped in his face and whipped his wand out. He kept it at his side but in plain sight to make his point clear. "Don't for a second think you're close to being human. You're nothing but a pig-" he turned to Petunia, "a horse-" he faced Dudley, "and a spoiled brat. So if you try and order me around one more time," he lowered his voice, "I'll blow this whole bloody house up."

He gave each one of them a deep glare then put his wand away and walked up the stairs. He was slightly surprised he didn't hear a respond the entire way back to his room. He shut the door and listened to silence. He let out a long breath of relief and almost laughed. God, that felt so good! Draco was right; he didn't have to listen to them and it was better that he spoke up to them. However, tomorrow, Vermon would probably recollect himself and come up with a longwinded speech to hurt him with. At least this time, he would be ready.

Suddenly, Hedwig started screeching and bouncing around in her cage. Harry went toward her to calm her down, but something appeared in the corner of his eye. He looked to his window where the second bird hissed viciously. For a minute, Harry pulled back, blocking Hedwig's cage to protect her. The bird was fairly big, taking up the whole height of his window. It had a rounded body with wide wings and brown feathers topped with black feathers. Some feathers were sticking out from the owl's head, looking as if he was glaring at both him and Hedwig. Harry easily recognized the bird as an Eagle Owl, fierce and bold-looking as well as frightening. Around the bird's neck was an envelope attached by a string. Bubo bubo easily clipped the string off with a single bite and the letter fell to the floor.

Harry stood cautious for a moment, then slowly walked forward and picked up the letter. Bubo bubo squawked which made Hedwig squeal and Harry had to shush them both before the beasts arose from downstairs. He opened the letter that had his name addressed on the front and pulled out the gray paper.

_**Harry,**_

_**Don't worry about Bubo bubo. He's awry, but won't actually hurt your owl. Besides he's going to have to get used to seeing you and your owl for the rest of the summer. But the real reason I'm writing you is to tell you about this dream **__**I**__** keep having. Okay, I'll leave out the dirty parts since you did in your letter, but mine's at home. It's always dark and someone's close by. When I turn on the light, I'm laying in bed and you're always beside me. I guess I'll stop there to keep this letter clean. On the other hand, get over those so called family members of yours and smile. You're a lot cuter when you do. I'll be seeing you soon.**_

_**I love you.**_

There was no signature at the bottom, but Harry didn't need one to know who it was from. It was better if he didn't sign it actually in case their letters were ever to be followed. But still, even this one letter was enough to make Harry feel…feel…. He felt like he could do anything, like scream at the Dudley's or make out in a movie theatre.

When he looked up, Bubo bubo was near Hediwg's cage and their beaks were close. Their beady eyes were studying each other and they were no longer suspicious or fighting. When Harry came close, Bubo bubo pulled away, screeched, and jumped out the window like a frightened animal. Harry smiled and opened Hedwig's cage. Before he could grab her, she jumped out the door and soared out the window. He watched both birds fly close and separate, pass the other, race each other, and soar across the blue sky. Their squawks and cries turned into purrs and coos as they flew closer and closer through the air. Harry smiled at the speck of white and black, melting into a single unit in the summer sky. He never really enjoyed summer, but maybe, just this once, it wouldn't be so bad…

**Sorry it took so long. I hope it's ok. More coming soon. Thank everyone for their reviews cuz I love them! They encourage me to write more so review more and I'll skip out on my homework again. Lol. Oh and for those who don't like my story and aren't brave enough to even log in so I can respond, don't bother reviewing. There's gonna be mistakes so get over it. You're not perfect and neither is this. To everyone else, thank you. Till my next update. =)**


	8. Obeying Him

"I don't want it!" Draco shouted, flying up from the chair he had been sitting in.

Narcissa weakly watched him from beside the chair. She had been kneeling at his level to comfortably talk to him. She stood up as he stormed across the room, muttering, "Draco-"

"No!" Draco refused quickly. His eyes were wide with shock and his chest was heaving from his fierce pants. He wasn't angry, as much as he sounded like it; it was something more than that-something deeper. Yet, he shook his head and shouted again, "I said no! I won't do it!"

"Draco, you _have _to." She carefully approached her son whose back faced her. A sharp pain stabbed her chest. It was horrible-too terrible for words to have to make your son do such a thing. "It's the duty of the Malfoy's to serve him."

"But-!" Draco's throat closed and he couldn't speak. His face was burning and his heart was racing out of control. Something was wrong. This never happened to him. He clenched his hands into tight fists when he felt his body trembling. "But…. I-I-" What did he want to say? _But why me? Why do __**I**__ have to do it? Please, don't make me._ The words wouldn't come out.

Narcissa felt her heart breaking as she listened to herself speak such harsh words. "I know you are just a boy… But you're old enough now. It is your duty. You will serve the Lord in whatever way he demands. This demand…." As much as she needed to, she couldn't continue.

Draco felt his strength and composure shattering to pieces. His eyes burned and he clenched them shut tight as well. "No!" He shouted again. His mother reached for him, but he fiercely shrugged her off, still unable to face her. "I don't want to! I won't do it! I-I _can't_!"

Narcissa forcefully grabbed his shoulders and made him face her. He had his head down as if shamed by just his looks and wouldn't bring it up. She felt herself on the verge of tears yet again, but forced herself to be strong. "I'm sorry…" She said in a soft whisper, almost inaudibly. "I'm so sorry, Draco. I never wanted this for you. I will protect you with all I can. But this… this you have to do on your own. I swear I'll get you out of this. We'll get away, I promise. But for now… Now we have to be strong… Oh, I'm so sorry…"

Draco finally lifted his head to reveal him as a complete mess. He wasn't shocked, but frightened. So scared out of his mind that he couldn't stop shaking and his face was stained. He broke down into his mother's arms as the tears poured down his face for the first time…

…**...**

"What do you think of me?" Draco asked solemnly.

Harry looked over to the white haired boy in the other swing. He stared for a second until the gold eyes glanced over at him. "Like, seriously?" Draco nodded and Harry blushed slightly. He looked at his feet that dug into the bark as he gently swayed back and forth on the swing. They were in a small park close to Harry's house that had a swing set, a slide, monkey bars, and a tunnel. It wasn't such a nice day with the grey muggy sky, but they wanted to be together anyway.

"Um…" Harry stuttered, unsure how to answer. "I don't know what to say…"

"Like, when you hear my name, what comes to your mind?"

Harry hesitated. This was unexpected. Then again, it was Draco. He had no clue of what was going on in his head. Yet, he sighed and spoke truthfully. "Honestly, when I _used_ to hear your name, I thought of that stupid, spoiled kid from Slytherin that liked to pick on me… But ever since that one night… I realized I was completely wrong." Before he knew it, Harry had started to ramble, "I saw that you were the same tough boy from Slytherin, but you weren't rough at all. You were gentle….and kind to me. I knew that there was more to you and, of course, you were this hot and horny smart-ass…and…I realized… I loved you…"

When his voice trailed off, he felt his face burning and quickly rubbed his cheeks. He looked to Draco who only sat smirking with his head tilted slightly. Yet, it wasn't that playful smirk that he always gave Harry. It was more of an honest smile, one that was rarely shown to anyone. Harry relaxed upon seeing it and asked in return, "What… do you think of me?"

Draco paused, but didn't look away from him. Of all the things he wanted to say to him, he figured now was the time. This was probably his last chance. "I loved you…" he began slowly and calmly, "before I even met you. The first time I heard your name, I knew I loved you. You were… the famous Harry Potter, the boy who should've died and was now a worldwide hero… I was jealous for a while because you had all this respect and love from people you didn't even know, but when I met you at Hogwarts… I couldn't get across it. That whole… Gryffindor-Slytherin, boy-boy thing… But I still couldn't take my eyes off you. You were like… the one thing I couldn't get. The.. one spell I could cast… but I still chased you. Once that night occurred, I knew I wouldn't let you go for anything." Harry sat mesmerized as Draco gently ran his hand down his cheek, cupping his face and staring deep into the silver pools. "I love you… so much, Harry…"

Harry suddenly felt weak, like the swing was his only support and if he were to move at all he would collapse to the ground. He wanted to cry, but was so utterly happy that tears refused to form. Instead, he could only smile, getting lost in those golden circles for as long as he could. He never wanted the day to end. He honestly prayed from the bottom of his heart that time would stop and he wouldn't have to move on with the day. He didn't care if the sun set into night and they just sat there in the dark. As long as morning never came again, he would never have to leave this-leave such a great amount of happiness.

For a long time they sat there, leaning against the old chains and swinging lightly. They were palm in palm, fingers interlocked, swaying in unison, and staring off into the distance. They didn't talk much because what was needed had already been said. As happy as he was, Harry couldn't shake a slight shiver that was creeping down his back. The day couldn't have been more perfect, but something felt…off. Like Draco wasn't telling him something or he wasn't telling Draco something. But he couldn't name it.

He glanced over at their connected hands and spotted the beginning line of the bandages on Draco's forearm. It was still a mystery to him, but he felt too insecure to ask. It might ruin the day. Besides, Draco said it was just a scratch. He wouldn't lie to him. It's not like it was going to kill him. So he relaxed again and closed his eyes, leaning on the chains and squeezing Draco's hand tighter. Such warmth flowed from Draco's hand to his own; so warm that it quickly melted the chill that had worried him. Once again, he was losing himself in the man he loved.

Suddenly a loud snap echoed through the air and made both boys jump. A roar rolled across the sky and boomed throughout the entire town. As they looked up to the even darker sky, water started to pour down. It came as a light drizzle for merely a second, then it was a complete storm. They were drenched in seconds. Still hand in hand, they ran to the nearest cover place they could find which was a thick tree. The branches still dripped heavy balls of rain on them here and there, but it was better than standing exposed in the downpour. As Draco pulled out his wand, Harry couldn't help but snicker. Soon they were both laughing at the rain and each other.

Draco casted a quick spell and they were back in Harry's room. They wrung out their clothes, still snickering a bit, and Harry left to fetch some towels. Alone in his room, Draco's gaze slowly drifted around the room. The single bed, the Snowy Owl in the corner, the cluttered desk, the family picture on the bedside table… Draco couldn't take it. It was so lonely, so painful to be in such a room. He felt bad for Harry. The thought only hurt more when he remembered that he was Harry's only happiness during this time. And he was going to…to…

Harry returned, drying his face, only to find Draco looking distant and a bit sad. He slowly approached him and the white haired boy gave him a soft smile. Harry handed him the towel silently which Draco used to dry off his face as well. Harry wanted to ask him what was wrong, to try and help him somehow, but he felt like he wasn't going to get a real answer. It was as if they both knew what was yet to come, but they both had turned away from it, refusing to accept it.

After drying themselves off, they both silently stood there. Neither spoke nor moved. They faced each other, empty handed, speechless, and entirely lost in the other. They don't know how long they stood there for, but it was long enough for their clothes to start to dry and their skin to get covered in goose bumps from their ice-like clothes. Eventually, Draco came up and grazed Harry's cheek, a soft touch as light as gauze, tracing down his jaw line. Harry felt too taken back too move. He just stood there and watched Draco examine as if for the last time and gently drew away. When Draco took a step back, Harry felt his legs moving and he was on him in an instant. They clung to each other for a minute, kissing deeply and tightly. It was unbelievably full of passion, like two separating lovers, like Romeo and Juliet before he left Vienna, like a wife and soldier before he left for war-soft, meaningful, and sad.

Yet, they pulled away and Draco stepped away from him. They stared for the longest time before Draco smiled again, that honest smile. Harry paused, but smiled as well. As soon as he did, Draco had to look away. It was too painful to see him looking so happy when he was about to crush him. Still, he gave him one last look, a solemn, loving stare, because he knew it was probably the last time he was going to see him. After staring for God knows how long again, Draco forced out the words and activated the spell. "Goodbye, Harry…"

Harry stood there after the slight smoke had settled and he ha become alone. He couldn't have said goodbye even if Draco had asked him to. He felt so lost and suddenly heartbroken. Like when Draco had erased his memory, that lonely hollow feeling settled over him, but he pushed it away. He refused to feel such a way. He didn't want it. He didn't want it to fade, he didn't want the game to end. Yet it seemed the game was over before it even began….

…**...**

TWO WEEKS LATER…..

Harry looked over the letters that sat before him. He had multiple from Hermione and Ron, having received three each from the past two weeks, but not a single one of the papers were from the one person he wanted to hear from. Ever since their date at the park, Draco stopped showing up and he wasn't receiving any letters. In a feared attempt that Hedwig had miscalculated Draco's house, he had sent two or three-or was it six?-more letters to the right address and still nothing came. He felt a little hurt from being apart for so long, but he tried not to point any fingers. Maybe his family was keeping him busy. But he still would've made the time to sent him a secret letter at least once…

Harry piled the papers together and tried to shove Draco out of his mind. Ever since he last saw him, things kind of returned to the way there are, except for a tiny twist. He stopped listening to the Dursley's even though he got screamed at twice. The fat pig had threatened to kick him out once or twice, but never laid a hand on Harry since he had pulled out his wand that one time. He never got out much excluding a lonely walk around the block when he got too cramped inside the hell hole. So really he was still living Hell, but at least he was managing better.

On the bright side, his birthday was coming up. Harry laughed pitifully at himself. _And exactly who am I going to celebrate that with?_ He then remembered when Hagrid came busting through the front door on his twelfth birthday with a cake and an invitation to the greatest thing that would ever happen to him. He wished he could see Hagrid. He wished he could be at Hogwarts and play with magic in class. He wished he could see his friends from Ron and Hermione, even if all they did was make-out, to Neville and Luna, even if they were both a little strange. He wanted it all! To sleep in a crowded dorm room. To get tormented by Snape. To play Quidditch. Or sneer at the Slytherin kids. To see Draco again…

Before Harry could kick himself for thinking such things again, something burst behind him. A crash and an echoing shatter. He turned and fell against his desk to find his window broken with a wide hole in the middle and glass all over the floor. An apple sat near his bed amid the mess, showing what exactly had broken his window. Hedwig was screeching and panicking until Harry calmed her down. He was a little cautious going to the window and he couldn't catch his breath for some reason. The only thing running through his head was, _Is it Draco?_

Yet, the loud shout echoed from somewhere down below. "Hey, Harry, are you alive?" A slight accent, very familiar.

Harry charged to the window, ignoring the broken glass, as the same, but slightly different voice said, "Now that's not funny. What if he really is?"

"Well, it was your idea to throw the apple."

"I thought he'd be hungry!"

"That is if he isn't dead."

Harry peered through the broken glass and saw the red head twins arguing on the sidewalk. They looked as if Harry had seen them yesterday. They both shared the orange ragged hair, sharp faces, and longs legs. They wore striped red and white shirts and blue jeans with one hand in their right pocket and wands in the other.

"Fred! George!" Harry called with a wide, goofy grin on his face.

"Well, wha'ya know? He's alive!" George said-or was it Fred? Harry could never really tell them apart.

Fred, however, was surprisingly serious. "Hurry up there, Harry. Get your clothes-"

"-and your owl-"

"-and your wand."

"We're leaving!"

"Like now!"

Harry was going to question them, but a loud scream from downstairs made him practically jump out of his skin. Oh no. The Dursley's. The broken window. He would hardly have two minutes before that door would bust down. He ran and shoved his chair under his door handle, buying him a little more time. Then he raced to his bed and whipped the suitcase out and onto his covers. After ripping it open, he snatched all his clothes from the closet and shoved them into the square case as fast as he could.

A fierce pound at the door. "Harry!"

Harry didn't even glance at the door. He shoved shoes, pictures, papers, and other necessary things into a tiny space in the suitcase. More pounds. Screams from the door. Shouts from outside. His pulse was racing and suddenly he was rushed with adrenaline. Even though his life was probably on the line from the pissed off pig outside his door, he found everything amusing. He laughed as he zipped his suitcase up, having to punch everything down once or twice, and dropped to the floor, forcing his untied shoes on his feet.

"Enjoying yourself there, Harry?" Fred's voice said calmly, suddenly right in front of him. Harry's head flipped up and found the boy's leaning outside his broken window.

"You know, we only have a few minutes-"

"-before the portal closes."

"Portal?" Harry said, out of breath, as Fred forced the window up without completely shattering it. "What portal?"

"Why, the portal we took to get here."

"How do you think we got here?"

"Walked?"

As they laughed, Harry brushed off the pieces of glass stuck to his jeans and dragged his heavy suitcase off the bed.

"Harry! Open this door right now!"

Harry shoved the suitcase through the open window, asking, "How are you-"

"Oh, our latest invention."

George lifted his foot and showed the rubber-like spikes that automatically stuck to the wall like super glue. "Stiky-Feet, I call 'em."

"No, I named 'em that."

"No, I did."

"Oh, what a load of-"

"Harry!"

Harry watched his suitcase tumble out of their hands and disappear into thin air. His eyes widened for a minute and he had to focus before he saw the slight glitch in the air. It was like looking over a fire, a flicker in the air that made a special area blurry. The portal was right there. As he turned to grab the rest of his stuff, he asked over the fierce slams and trembling door. "I thought you guys only made pranks."

"We do."

"This is one of 'em."

"You give them to your friends-"

"-thinking that they can walk on anything-"

"-but really they wear off in a matter of minutes."

"Actually, now that we're using them-"

"-it doesn't seem like a good tool to use."

"Harry!" The pig squealed.

"Come on!" Fred waved him through the window. "Let's go!"

Harry handed them Hedwig, saying, "Careful," as he passed the panicking bird through the window. He was about to climb through when a though appeared in his mind. He quickly turned back and dashed away.

"Harry!" Three voices said at once.

Fred exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

Harry snatched his wand and shoved it into his pocket, yelling at himself inside for almost forgetting it. He was about to go out again, when his eye got caught on something else.

Vermon was screaming. The door was breaking. The portal was closing. Fred and George were shouting at him to hurry up. His heart was going to pound right out of his chest. The blood roared in his ears. And all he could focus on was the letter that Draco had written him. His eyes were set on the three words posted at the bottom, echoing through his mind. _I love you…_

All at once, the door busted open. Harry snatched the letter and dove for the window. The pig surely would've gobbled him up in one fell swoop if he hadn't have tripped over the chair Harry had placed there. The twins started to help Harry jump, when George suddenly fell back. The spikes on his shoes had worn off and started to become unstuck from the wall. Both Harry and Fred had to snatch him from falling two stories flat on his back. He clutched onto the invisible edge of the portal and dragged Harry down right as another hand dragged him back. Vermon was screaming at the top of his lungs and trying to drag the brunette back inside. Harry, in the rush of adrenaline racing through him, kicked the pig's arm away and felt as if someone had roughly shoved him forward. In unison, the twins climbed over and leaped down as if jumping into a lake on a hot summer day. Together, they all went tumbling down into a never ending blackness.

Harry felt a giant rush of wind, one that cooled him straight down to his core, and the sensation of flying. That feeling he always got went he went soaring up on a broomstick for the first time after a long terrible summer. A wonderful light feeling that made his whole body tingle. At the same time, a bright light blinded him. He felt like he had been falling forever, but soon his feet touched cement and gravity sent his upper body slapping to the ground. Fred and George landed perfectly as if they've done it a million times. Harry sat crouched on the ground for a minute and realized his elbow was throbbing in pain. Had he hit it on the way through the window? The portal? It was only until he fixed his glasses that he saw his bookcase and Hedwig's cage beside him. He had practically landed on top of them.

"C'mon, Harry!" George said, grabbing one arm while Fred grabbed the other.

"We only got two more minutes."

"It's three minutes."

"Fine, two minutes and three-quarters. We just got to leave now."

Harry stumbled as he was yanked up. He felt completely drained of his strength and everything looked like it was spinning in fast forward. He shook his head and grabbed Hedwig as she was shoved at him. Fred rolled his suitcase while George started to drag Harry God-knows-where.

"W-Where are we going?" He forced out and slipped his glasses back on when they started to fall off. Yet, his question was somewhat answered when he was pulled into a crowded, old fashioned street he recognized as Diagon Alley. He remembered the crowded streets, old brick floors, and never-ending rows of shops. It was a bit creepy at first, coming out of an alleyway, but once in the light and fresh, magical air, he felt completely revived. He stopped stumbling over himself and matched the twin's racing speed.

George started to explain, "Do you remember that one door-"

"Of course, he doesn't remember! It's been years."

"Whatever!"

"He's talking about that one door-"

"-a magical door-"

"-of course."

"We had to put a timer on it so our parents don't find out."

"Otherwise mother would kill us."

"Wait," Harry said as he was dragged around a sharp corner, cutting through another eerie alleyway. He went to keep walking straight, but the twins yanked him to go left. "You're parents don't know I'm coming?"

"Well, no on knows."

"We're pulling a prank on our brother." They both snickered.

"You see-"

"-Ron wanted to bring you over a long time ago-"

"-but the magic never settled in right."

"When it finally started working for us to cross over like this-"

"-we lied and told him it wasn't until _next _week."

"He has no idea what we're up to."

"Can you imagine his face?"

Harry went to go left, but they yanked him to go straight. They approached a lonely door that was attached to some abandoned building. As much of a rush they were to get to it, they took their sweet time once there.

"How much time, do you wonder, we have left?" Fred asked.

"I don't know… Thirty seconds, I reckon." George shrugged.

Harry stood between them a they casually chatted over him.

"Ah, do you think mum cleaned our rooms?"

"No way, she probably had Ron did it."

"Ugh, he never folds my undergarments right."

"Guys!" Harry finally butted in and both boys laughed at him.

"Just kiddin', Harry."

"There was never a time limit."

Harry groaned with a roll of his eyes as George-or Fred- opened the door to reveal not an abandoned house, or a run-down room, but the Weasly kitchen. After scratching his wand across the door in the shape of an 'X', the spell had taken them straight to their house. The twins strolled in like they came home from a stroll in the park. Fred dropped his suitcase to the ground and put their wands in their jacket like nothing happened.

George shouted annoyingly, "Mum, we're back!"

Harry stood confused as they snickered and leaned on both sides of the doorway. A few stomps away, Harry heard the high pitch, strict voice boiling up. "You two boys are in so much trouble. How dare you just take off like without saying a word to anyone. Why, you're always up to such foolish things. When will you learn-" Upon entering, Mrs. Weasly spotted Harry and stopped in her tracks. The short, ragged old woman was still as pleasant and cheerful the last time Harry had seen her (besides being pissed at the twins). "Oh, Harry!" She turned to the two boys towering over, arms crossed, leaned back on the wall. She gave them each a smack in the chest and smiled back to the brunette. "It's so good to see you!"

Harry returned her hug with a polite, "Hello, Mrs. Weasly."

She held him at arm's length away, looking him over. "Oh, still as cute as ever. I bet you're starving! Well, are you?"

"Um, yeah, sort of."

"Oh, don't be shy! How many times have you been here?" She pushed him out of the doorway, shutting the door behind him. After they had entered, Harry hardly noticed that the way they came had returned to the original door to their field. Mrs. Weasly pulled Harry away and waved the twins over angrily. "You two, take Harry's owl and bags up to Ron's room. Oh, he'll be so glad to see you."

The twins smirked to each other, but obeyed, arguing the entire time. "I told you she'd do that."

"No you didn't," George said, "I did!"

"You liar. I said she would do this. You said she'd make us clean the entire house again."

"Yeah, right. After last time when we filled the house with practice runs of our inventions?"

"Oh, yeah. That was great!"

Harry watched his stuff get carried away as Mrs. Weasly pulled him out a chair and began to ramble. "Now I was going to wait for dinner, but now that you're here, I'll make it early. And no buts, mister. I know that miserable family doesn't feed you. Oh, those twins didn't injure you did they?" She asked when Harry was rubbing his slightly sore elbow that he had hit on his suitcase.

"Oh, no, ma'am-"

"I swear those twins are wild animals! They get it from their father, I swear. He's still at work, by the way. He'll be delighted to see you when he gets home. Ginny is out with her friends. That girl comes and goes like the wind. Ron has been stuck in his room like a hermit. A stubborn boy, that one is."

Just when Harry didn't think she'd stop, multiple poundings came flying down the stairs. Harry was on his feet by the time Ron appeared at the end of the stairs and in the doorway. "Harry! I knew it!" Ron charged at him and they hugged tightly for a minute. "It's about bloody time you got out of there! My stupid brothers. I knew they were up to no good. Always causing trouble. C'mon, I'll help you unpack."

"Ron," his mother called, making him pull back. "I need your help with dinner."

"Mom, I need to help Harry. Have George and Fred do it."

Harry smiled and teased, "I can do it by myself." Ron scowled at him since he was only using him as a scapegoat and Harry knew it.

Mrs. Weasly rolled her eyes and shooed them off with her wand. "Go!"

On the way up to his room, Ron started to talk and never stop complaining just like his mother. He talked about his family, the pranks, the chores, just like in all his letters. Then he moved on to Hermione and dragged on even longer. Harry didn't mind though. Just being in his mess of a room, climbing over the mountains of dirty clothes and garbage made him happy. They unpacked his crumpled clothes into the spare drawer and cleaned off the spare bed next to Ron's. They've done it so many times that it didn't take them long. Even then they kept talking, except this time Ron let Harry talk a bit. They talked about the good times at Hogwarts and how they never had to clean or work as much as at school. Harry explained how he exploded on the pig and his family and had pulled out his wand which Ron thought was bloody brilliant.

Ginny arrived home first, then Mr. Weasly. The boys went downstairs to say hello which both family members were happy to see Harry. They helped set the table and all together they sat down to eat. As the large family chatted, argued, and noisily ate, Harry couldn't help but smile. Molly was complaining to Arthur about the twins who played the innocent card again. Ginny told Harry about some spell she was studying that he would be interested in until Ron teased her. Which in turn he got yelled at by his father. Then the twins did the whole "I'm not George, he is!" and "No _that's_ Fred," until both parents' heads were spinning. Ron was right; they were crazy. But Harry loved it more than anything.

After dinner, Harry started to help clean up till Ron made him stop. "You can go up and change. I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay." Harry listened and trudged up the stairs. He never realized how tired he was until he sat on the spare bed. It was softer and quieter than his back in the Dursley's home. He didn't miss it though, not a single bit. He threw off his shoes and started to clean up his mess. Earlier he had just shoved all the tiny things he had thrown randomly in there on his new desk that he was going to share with Ron. As he was cleaning, he came across his tooth brush, some crumpled up pictures-and his letters.

His heart dropped to his toes when he found his only letter from Draco. Once the twins showed up, Draco had slipped from his mind the whole day. He was too focused on Ron and his family to think of him. Now that he was standing alone in the room, all his focus returned to the white haired fiend. His legs suddenly went weak and he fell onto the bed. He reread the letter two times before dropping it behind him so he wouldn't look at it. His chest tightened. He ripped off his glasses and rubbed his suddenly dry eyes. He wanted to see him…**so** bad. But what was he to do? He couldn't use magic and he knew damn well that Draco wasn't going to come here. Not even if Ron (by some strong spell) invited him here. It hurt-physically and mentally-to be so far apart. This was the longest they were apart for, such a long treacherous month, a lot worse than at Hogwarts. He then started to remember everything they've been through; all beginning with that spell, the Quidditch towers, the secret meetings, sneaking out of classes and dorm rooms to see each other, and so much more. Harry longed to go back to Hogwarts so badly. He was so lost in thought of the school and Draco, that he didn't even notice Ron when he walked in.

The red head paused, seeing him sitting head down and silent, still unchanged. There was a tight, painful tension in the air that worried him. "Hey, man," he said in a hushed voice, surprising the brunette. "You all right?"

Harry got to his feet and glanced back at the letter. As much as it hurt, he picked it back up and put his back to Ron. "Yeah…" He said quietly. "I'm fine." He honestly tried as hard as he could to believe the words, but the pain wouldn't subside. He finally took a deep breath in, opened up his dresser drawer, and threw the paper in with a quick thrust-like if he didn't get rid of it now he never would for the rest of his life. The echoing slam of the drawer seemed to put him at a bit of peace… Yet, he wondered how long Ron's family would distract him before the pain would return….

…**...**

"Avada Kedavra!" The shout echoed across the room, the speaker's voice filled with pain and struggle. The green bolt of power that shot across the room was hardly enough to complete the spell. It sparked against the target on the wall, scorching and cracking the old cement yet again. After all the times it took to even scratch the surface, it was clear that the wall had been hit numerous times.

Exhausted, Draco doubled over to catch his breath. He leaned on his knees and stared at his feet, panting and sweating. How long had he been at this? Two weeks? How long was he suppose to keep practicing? This was ridiculous! He started to get frustrated. Of all the emptiness he had been feeling since he had last seen _him_, his anger was finally starting to resurface. He had been ordered again and again and again to do the same thing over and over and over until he got it right. Wasn't he good enough? Wasn't he strong enough? They all looked down on him. How dare they look at him like a child.

Draco lifted his gaze when he heard a faint sound. A rat came scampering across the floor. In the spark of his anger, Draco pounced forward like an attacking tiger and thrusted his wand at the poor creature. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" With his scream came such a powerful bolt of energy that the green light was larger, brighter and struck the rodent with all its might. The rat was tossed into the air and engulfed in the power. With one painful, miserable squeal, the power snap and the rat was gone. A thick pile of blood sat upon the floor where it once was and the ground was scorched heavily from the forbidden spell.

As soon as he did it, Draco regretted it. Watching the poor critter squirm, then implode was….was… Draco felt sick to his stomach and the pain immediately returned. What had he done? He had ended a life. Even if it was just an animals. It was still a life. And he was suppose to do that… He stumbled away from the scene, but couldn't take his wide, frightened eyes off the dead animal. He couldn't do it. He couldn't kill someone. As much as his family was devoted to it, as much as people expected him to, he automatically knew that he was too weak for it. He wanted to run. The fear wrapped around him and he couldn't escape. If he just ran-if he just started to run and never stopped, maybe-just maybe it would all go away. He took another step back, but didn't get far.

The boney hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed straight to his bone. Draco was immediately paralyzed with fear and even dropped his wand. As it clanked lightly against the floor, the bare, ugly feet of something known as a person walked by it. Dressed in a long, tattered black robe that flowed like some vile black fog was a person so horrible that no one could speak his name. He was too terrible even for words. Just the mention of his name made people drop to their knees to pray. The sight of his nasty features made everyone look away as if unworthy to look at such a powerful wizard. The sound of his hoarse, terrible voice sent such a chill down their bodies that they couldn't stop shivering. As soon as he touched him, Draco dropped his head in shame and started to tremble.

"Good work, my boy…" The soft, malevolent voice said as he walked in front of him. "You have done well." Draco didn't answer and only stood silent, too scared to move, or speak, or even breathe. The man slowly circled him as if mocking him of the horrible thing he had done. "Don't worry,…it gets easier once you've done it a hundred times. Soon… you'll be using it…ten times a day… like I do." Draco shut his eyes, trying to contain himself as the man circled him, dragging his claws across his chest as he passed in front of him. "I need your help, Draco," the man spoke as if he actually had feelings. "You're…such an amazing tool. I wouldn't be able…to complete my master plan without you. Sure… I have my assistants and…my entire army. Including your parents, Draco-" The words stung ten times worse than Draco imagined and he struggled to stay in one piece. "-but you're special. You're going to help me finish it off. You're going to help me…with the main….and most important part of my plan…"

Draco clenched his hands into fists and tried his hardest to stay still when both hands grabbed his shoulders from behind and spoke directly into his ear. "You're going to help me kill Harry Potter…."

**Okay even though this was sad and suspenseful I had so much fun typing this chapter! I started typing at like 2 o clock yesterday and started typing so fast! Within an hour I went from page 2 to page 10 xD Anyway, hope its good. Review and tell me how it went. If I don't get a lot of reviews I'll go back to doing my homework x) Till my next update!**


	9. Burning To Pieces Part 1

Harry sprinted as fast as he could up the hill. The tall golden grass was thick and dragging at his ankles as if to slow him down, but he refused to be stopped. He charged up the hill so hard that he was practically hauling himself up on all fours. Behind him near the start of the rising slope was Ron, trying to keep up. He could hear him shouting at him to slow down, but Harry continued up the hill till he reached the top. At his pace, he almost tumbled over it upon stopping. At the slanted top was the perfect view of the land.

There were more hills, growing from a luminous gold to a luscious green as it went up one last slope. There were more trees on this, ranging from sizes of all sorts, from baby spuds to ones that touched the clouds. The shadows they casted were penetrated by the warm sunlight that poured over them, gently kissing their skin. Harry drowned in it as he caught his breath, loving how the slight breeze traveled through his clothes and across his skin.

"Sheesh!" Ron exclaimed as he reached the top beside him and caught his breath. "I told you to wait."

"Sorry." Harry smiled and gazed over the view again.

Ron eventually smiled and pulled the hair out of his face. "This makes me feel like we're thirteen all over again."

Harry laughed and nodded. "Remember when we traveled through here to get to that Quidditch Stadium?"

"Yeah. That was such a wild trip."

Harry nodded and said after a pause, "I'd give anything to fly on a broomstick again." He turned his smile to Ron who gave a playful suggestion.

"Hey, tell that to my brothers and they'll blast you into next week."

They shared a laugh, basking in the sweet memories their hearts recalled. They recalled spells they used every day and the ones Ron always forget. Then the topic turned from spells to classes and the ones they learned from them. They remembered the harsh ones, like Forbidden Spells, and crazy ones that always got them in trouble. The talk of such spells reminded them of Hermione.

"Remember how many times she fixed my glasses?" Harry said with a laugh.

Ron scoffed. "She was so bloody annoying, always doing better spells than us."

"That's 'cause she actually studied, Ron."

"I studied!"

"Until Hermione had to tutor you."

"That was!" Ron paused, then crossed his arms stubbornly. "Snape was being a jerk and failed me! Hermione was the only one who could help me."

Harry shook his head, then said, "Isn't that how you two started dating?"

Ron thought it over and eventually nodded. "Well, yeah…"

Harry caught the sight of a blush on his face so he teased him which, in turn, resulted in a shove from the ginger. As they laughed from the talk of dating, something stabbed at Harry's chest. Dating someone… Where was his boyfriend? He suddenly got caught up in everything he had been through. He remembered facing Draco after their 'close encounter' and coming to reality that they couldn't be apart-or keep their hands off each other. That started the secret meetings and warm kisses and beautiful nights… Now… Now, he was standing on his best's friend land, completely severed off.

Ron looked over when Harry suddenly went quiet and was surprised at what he found. Such a painful expression, one Harry hardly ever wore. A similar one when Harry had some letter in his hand. He reached for the brunette in an attempt to soothe him, but Harry quickly turned away. AT the same moment, a giant rush of wind hit them, knocking them off balance for a second. With it came a flock of birds that soared over them, chirping loudly and riding the wind like a surfer would a wave. The feathers they left behind and the attack they almost had upon them wiped away the sudden insecurities from Harry's mind.

"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed, looking back and forth at the disappearing birds and Harry. "They almost killed us! Seriously!" Harry relaxed and forced a smile upon his face. Ron looked back at him and the concern returned. He settled down and asked solemnly, "You all right?"

"Ron! Harry!" The shrill voice called from down the hill. "Lunch! Come help set the table!"

The boys turned to tread down the hill when Ron gave Harry a shove in the arm. Harry returned it which lead to running and racing. Harry thought how Ron was right; it was like they were kids a again. Inside, the entire family was there; Mr. Weasley was softly arguing with his wife, the twins suddenly appeared in the corner, scaring Ginny across the table at which they laughed from her girlish scream. Harry and Ron scattered the plates down the long table while Fred and George surrounded them.

"Hey," Fred whispered and slid something into Harry's pocket. "Open this when we're about to eat."

Harry cupped the stack of plates on one arm and pulled out the object. It was a small tube with something dense and glowing swirling inside, like some massive power waiting to explode. "What is it?" He asked.

Ron snatched it from him and put it on a plate which he set on the table. "We're not taking part in one of your pranks."

"Did I hear 'pranks'?" Mrs. Weasley said tensely.

"Uh, no, ma'am." Harry said quickly to play it safe and set the rest of the plates.

As the other kids did the silverware and glasses, everyone finally found a chair and stood tall behind it. At the end of the table, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley raised their wands and flicked it gently. A wave of magic carried a huge tray of turkey, bowls of salad and mash potatoes, and pitchers of something to drink. They all floated and rested before the plates, the pitcher also filling every cup on the table on its way down. Once the food was ready, everyone took their seats, finally going into an uproar of chatter after being quiet for so long.

Harry sat beside Ron and Ginny as they all started to eat. Molly and Arthur sat on separate ends of the table and the twins sat across from him. Immediately, the conversion meshed together into different topics. Arthur discussed problems at his work where something exploded and almost took off a co-worker's eyebrows. The twins quickly noted that as an idea for an invention which their mother quickly denied. Ginny told everyone about a new spell she was practicing.

"Well, show us," Arthur said.

"All right." Ginny set down her food, wiped her hands, and pulled out her wand. She cleared her throat and gave Harry a quick glance before smiling and starting. She swiftly crossed her wand across her chest twice and clearly said, "Pus-squirting hex." As soon as she said it, her wand flashed….and nothing happened. She proudly put her wand away and started to eat again. "I haven't been able to practice it on someone so I don't know how long it will take."

Her father glanced at everyone around the table and asked, "Well, what is it-"

"Ahh!" Ron sneezed harshly at which a thick yellow goo hung from his nose. It was unlike any other sneeze, one that was clearly from a spell. It was like a never ending faucet of goo that continued to pour from his nose. "Ah, gross, Ginny! I'm gonna kill you!"

The twins, Ginny, and also Harry laughed until Ron gave them separate glares. Molly gasped and rushed to her son. "Ginny Weasley, you apologize to your brother and remove this hex!"

"Oh, all right. I'm sorry." She undid it easily at which the goo stopped pouring.

The mess was all over his lap and somewhat on his plate. Harry was smirking mockingly as Ron wiped it off. The ginger lunged the stained napkin at him, but Harry easily knocked it away. After their wrestling, they returned to eating.

"So, Harry," Arthur said, wiping his mouth clean. "I hear your birthday's coming up."

"Dad!" Ron instantly snapped.

Harry gave him a confused look and nodded. "Uh, yeah, but it's no big deal."

"No big deal?" Molly almost tipped over her glass from her over exaggerating hand gestures. "Why, Harry, it's your inheritance! Of course it's a big deal! Ginny and I will make you a cake shortly to celebrate, okay?"

"Okay, thanks," Harry said with a short laugh. He felt a little overwhelmed with all the attention on him.

Ron for some reason, seemed irritated. He was silent until Harry bumped him with his elbow. He looked around, sat quiet for a minute, then quickly said, "We'll do a spell together, okay, mate? You and me as soon as we can." Harry smiled and gave him a nod.

Ginny looked over Harry to her brother. "But, Ron, what about the-"

"Ginny!" Fred, or George, said quickly. "Where did you learn about that spell?"

"Yes, the gooey one."

"It would be an awesome prank."

"You know, one that is like a tiny packaged gift-"

"-and when someone opens it-"

"-they get a whiff of that spell-"

"-and it's a goo fountain!"

"No, no!" Molly said, waving her fork at the boys. "Ginny, you keep your prank-inspiring spells away from those boys."

Ron leaned over and whispered, "Please." Harry chuckled and drank some of his juice.

"Anyway," Arthur continued, "What would you like, Harry? I think I can get you a good present down at the company."

"Oh, I don't need anything."

"No, don't argue, just name something."

"Really, it's all right…" Harry went to explain, but came up short. How could he explain it? How could he explain that he was just fine with being here? That he was unbelievably happy with just knowing them? Being able to experience what a real family was like and just had the tiniest attention turned his way was more than his heart could take? It was something he couldn't resist nor live without. Still, it was something he couldn't put into words.

Ron saw that and pushed the topic aside. "Dad, no more talk about it. It's not important."

That put the table in an uproar. Molly and Arthur argued, at which the twins butted in to save their brother. Harry glanced back and forth between the family, wondering why they were always like this, why they always made him smile, and why Ron didn't want to talk about his birthday? Just as the conversation was reaching its climax, a loud _**pop**_ echoed into the room, followed by Ginny's scream. Everyone, besides the twins, nearly jumped out of their seats as a ray of sparks hovered over the table. As they exploded, bits of confetti swirled around the room and morphed into multiple groups. Mini dragons and birds formed from the paper and started swirling around everyone at the table. Harry and Ron laughed at the show while the twins stood up and high-fived each other in accomplishment. Ginny sat stunned and panting with the small tube that Harry had earlier in her hand and the lid in the other. Her surprised face had regretted opening it. Molly tried to calm the paper storm, but was complaining too much so Arthur had to solve it. The dinner quickly became a party and Harry found himself smiling until his cheeks hurt.

…**...**

When Harry awoke that specific morning, he felt instantly awake. Yet, he laid there, staring at the ceiling with a blurred vision. For some reason, he didn't really want to get up. Of course, he was excited; it was his birthday for Magic's sake, but he still couldn't shake something. A distant feeling told him to stay in bed otherwise he'd regret it. Maybe if he closed his eyes, the day would pass like normal.

Almost as soon as he did, it was like he fell back into a dream. He immediately saw the ceiling of a Hogwarts dorm room. The green and white blankets seemed to be perfectly wrapped around him from recently being covered. Everything was clear, telling him his glasses were on. The bed tilted and he looked to the right to see a large warm hand that smoothly caressed his cheek. The white haired boy placed his lips softly against Harry's forehead, whispering almost inaudibly, "I love you, Harry…"

Harry didn't want to, but he had to. If he didn't open his eyes now he would be forever lost in the memory. The way Draco's lips felt against his skin was so real and he didn't want to let go. It was as if he let go now that he would forget what his touch felt like altogether. Yet, his eyes opened and he was staring into an empty pillow. He was in Ron's room, in a regular bed, alone. Not at Hogwarts, nor in a Slytherin bed with the one person he longed for. Harry forced his heavy, tired body out of bed. He was wrong. He knew that if he _stayed_ in bed, he would regret it.

Putting on a decent shirt, he slipped down the stairs, but didn't reach the bottom. Ginny and Ron beat him to it and pointed back upstairs. "Sorry, mate," Ron said as he grabbed his shoulders and shoved him up the stairs. "You can't come down yet."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Ron. I said I didn't want anything special."

"It's not for your birthday." He hesitated, then looked around and lowered his voice. "My mom's half naked! Save yourself!"

Harry laughed and pushed past Ron. He wasn't going to play with their games until Ginny stepped firmly in his path. She gave him that warm smile, then her eyes flashed fiercely and she pointed upstairs. "Go!" That was all she had to say before Harry was back pedaling up the stairs.

Yet, half way up, Mrs. Weasley appeared with a spatula in her hand and a dirty apron-fully clothed. "Oh, what are you two up to?" She snatched Harry's arm and dragged him down. "We're not going to keep him locked up in his room on his birthday! Now, Harry, I bet you're hungry. I made pancakes special for you!"

"Uh, thanks, but you didn't have-"

His body jolted back as something exploded in his face. Well, it was fast like an explosion, but nothing really blew up. The twins merely poofed before them, turning visible from a spell and scaring all four of them. "Happy birthday, Harry!"

While everyone else relearned how to breathe, Harry smiled and said, "Thanks."

Ginny grabbed his hand and dragged him to the kitchen. "Here, Harry, sit down."

As he was in the process of sitting down, Ron yanked him back up and forced him further down the table. "Gosh, Ginny. Harry should at least sit at the head of the table."

Harry fell into the seat where Mrs. Weasley brought him some pancakes, syrup, and orange juice. Ron sat beside him to eat as well, but he was the only one. Ginny disappeared with Mrs. Weasley behind them and he hadn't seen any sign of the others. Harry finished a bit and asked in a low voice, "Where is everyone?"

Ron pointed to the bathroom. "The twfins phlew up the downsphairs toilket so 'veryone's tryin' to fish it."

Harry shook his head at his best friend's full mouth and then nearly jumped out of his seat when a loud **boom** echoed through the house, causing everything to tremble for a second and the lights to flicker. Ron seemed to surprise, but he spoke in a calm voice. "See?"

As they got closer to finishing, the others returned. Mr. Weasley returned with a missing sleeve from his fancy dress coat. Molly removed her scorched apron to reveal an appropriate violet skirt and black blouse. She was patting the smoking parts of her husbands jacket when the twins entered. They staggered in, completely unscathed and wearing matching blue and white suits, except one suit was reversed to look different from the other brother. Ginny came rushing in, fixing her liquid fire hair, trying to fix the crisp edges. She wore a red china dress that brought out her curves nicely. As Harry gazed around at everyone, he realized he was _way_ underdressed. Even Ron wore a nice dress shirt and pants.

Harry was heading for the kitchen when molly snatched the plates from him. "Oh, I'll take those, dear."

"Okay, thanks. Um… I'm gonna go up stairs and get dressed."

"Oh, yes. Go, go!" She rushed him and threw the dishes in the sink.

Harry hurried up the steps and shut the door slightly, leaving only a crack open since he would hear someone if they came upstairs. He threw off his shirt and dirty shorts and quickly got dressed. He started to rip clothes out of the drawers when he came across a problem. What fancy clothes did he have? He threw on a nice pair of jeans and a button up silk shirt, but that was nothing compared to what the others were wearing. He could ask Ron to borrow some nice clothes since everyone was getting dolled up, but he was sure he was wearing some of his dad's clothes. It would be weird to ask Arthur for some nice clothes. Just as he was digging deeper into the dresser, tearing out old clothes and pajamas, he suddenly ripped out a green and white scarf.

"Here, take it," he remembered Draco saying. He could practically see the white haired fiend wrapping the scarf around his neck from behind as they gazed in front of his mirror. His snake-like arms wrapped around him and his lips brushed his ear as he whispered, "This can be your collar. When people see it, they'll know exactly who you belong to." Harry remembered watching himself blush in the mirror. The words were embarrassing, but so comforting and warm that he had melted into them long before he knew it. He stared at their reflection, of the white hair meshing into his brown locks, of the gold pools blending, burning into his silver ones, of the warmth that enveloped him, surrounding him, capturing him into the deadliest trap that he wanted to fall in to.

When Harry blinked again, he was standing in front of Ron's mirror, holding the scarf limply in his palms. He stared at his own reflection, looking how messy and lost he was currently. He seemed so….empty. Here he was, getting dressed in his best friend's room, in his 'family's' home, on his birthday and all he could feel was a twinge of pain in his chest.

Something in the reflection moved, catching his eye, and he realized he wasn't the only one in the room.

"He hasn't written back, huh?" The sweet voice said.

Harry's eyes adjusted on the reflection, then he whirled around. "Hermione!" He charged at her as she did to him and fell into a full embrace. Just like with Ron, he was overwhelmed with too many feelings to count.

"It's so good to see you, Harry. Oh, and Happy Birthday."

"Thanks…" Harry paused then his eyes hit the scarf still in his hands. He met Hermione's lingering gaze, then he quickly ran to the dresser and threw it inside, hiding it for the next time he'd open it.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione's innocent voice spoke behind him. "He… must be busy. You know, with his family and all…"

Harry tried, but couldn't shove the slight frustration building up inside it. "Yeah, for an entire month?" He snapped, dropping to pick up the clothes he had thrown on the floor.

Hermione got beside him and said clearer, more reasonable than he could think at the moment. "You don't know what he has going on at home, Harry. He even said it was a little difficult to make time to see you, but he did, didn't he? So he's trying." Harry stopped momentarily and Hermione knelt beside him, which was a little difficult from her black cotton dress that went past her knees. "I'm sure he wants to see you as much as you want to see him. Give him some time. He'll work things out." Harry still seemed lost until her warm hand touched his shoulder.

Softly, her words echoed around him. "You love him…don't you?" For the first time all month, Harry finally felt better-like he found the missing puzzle piece. Yet, he couldn't exactly fit it back into the puzzle. He was merely holding it, wavering, hesitating, unsure of what to do with it. He slowly nodded and Hermione gave his shoulder a squeeze. "And he loves you. Trust him, Harry… You'll see him before you know it. I'm sure of it."

And Harry believe her. She was so confident in her words, it made Harry feel like he could do anything, no matter what the cost. He even got the strength to smile earnestly at her and nod again. "Thank you, Hermione."

She smiled and patted his arm. "Now, let's get you dressed. If you think _that_ passes for nicely dressed then we have a _huge_ problem."

After some clothes exchanging and appearing out of nowhere, Harry finally wore black suit pants, a blue dress shirt with a white folded over collar and a black tie hanging down his chest. Hermione combed his hair back as an extra touch, but he pushed it back down the moment she turned away. Soon she was dragging him down the stairs where everyone was busy chatting and waiting.

"Here he is!" She said loudly and everyone smiled.

Harry tugged at his collar uncomfortably at which Ron laughed. "I know, man, I know," he said and tugged at his as well.

As Harry looked around, he noticed everyone's burnt or ripped clothes were fixed and everyone looked as nice as some business group. He should be expecting something, a voice in the back of his head told him, but he couldn't name it. He finally got the urge to ask, as everyone was merely standing around excitedly. "What are we doing?"

"We're waiting," Fred and George answered in unison.

"For what?"

As soon as he said it, he knew the answer was behind him. Something flashed; it wasn't visible nor had a specific shape or name. Just the air itself, grew dense for a second and snapped at everyone's senses. A glow illuminated from behind him, making rays of light bounce off everyone's faces. Their wide smiles told him this is what they were waiting for and they all watched Harry. He could feel it in the other room, something hovering as light as a feather but as powerful as the greatest wizard on the planet. Immediately, he knew what it was-or, in this case, who.

Harry spun into the other room, stopping just as fast in the doorway upon seeing him. "Dumbledore!"

The old man was smiling from a far in the middle of the room. He looked just as great as he ever did, standing tall and wise. His long beard hung down his chest and long grey robes. His dark eyes gazed warmly at Harry with an honest smile. Harry wanted to run to him and hug him the moment he saw him, but something held him back. The light glimmering off his skin and hair, outlining his entire body like some kind of God, slowly but surely reminded him that it was just a spell.

"Hello, Harry," Dumbledore's voice said, sounding as deep and powerful as always.

Harry knew it was just a hologram spell where his soul was with him, but not his body, but it was better than nothing. He felt like he was going back to Hogwarts so soon-in fact _too_ soon. Yet, he felt so breathless at the sight of him that he couldn't respond.

"I shouldn't have to tell you this," the old man said, "but I've been far too busy with stuff that's no concern to you. So I apologize for not being able to greet you in person."

Harry paused and then came back to reality in a quick snap. "Oh… Oh! No, it's all right."

Dumbledore nodded. "I just came to say Happy Birthday and I hope you enjoy all of your surprises. Even the ones you've already received." There was that twinge in his voice, that rise in pitch that he always gave him. It was one of those moments where he knew exactly what Dumbledore was saying, but not at the same. Yet, the plan would play out and he would realize it eventually. Dumbledore finally smiled and said, "Have fun." He moved like he was going to leave, but turned back. "Oh and Harry, not **too** much fun like Ms. Weasley and Ms. Granger over here."

Harry glanced back and saw Hermione and Ginny blush and giggle a little. He turned back just in time to see Dumbledore nod and then, with a quickly blink and a flash, he was gone. He didn't have time to recompose himself from all the lightness he was feeling in his body, because Ginny and Hermione snatched his hands and dragged him for the front door.

"Hurry up, Dad!" Ginny cried as Mr. Weasley pushed his way to the front of the crowd. "All right, all right, hold on."

Harry watched everyone crowd around the door like a busy train station trying to get on all at once. Arthur snapped his wand out and tapped it on the surface of the door. He mumbled a spell Harry couldn't recognize and the door flashed brightly that it hurt his eyes. As he blinked to see straight again, Arthur faced the group, met all of their eyes, and finally smiled to Harry.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," he said smoothly and turned the handle.


	10. Burning To Pieces Part 2

Harry couldn't believe his eyes. Instead of seeing the graceful golden and green fields he had seen this morning out his window, replacing the vast wilderness of the Weasley property was an entirely different room. Their front door passed as a portal to a completely separate building probably half way across the world. It was bright and vast, almost never ending from Harry's view. And taking up most of that space were people, his friends, every single person he knew from Hogwarts, waiting and smiling. They all roared with a cheer, most likely trying to say "Surprise" and "Happy Birthday" at the same time.

Harry stumbled into the decorated room with utter shock and pleasure. He spotted groups of spunky Hufflepuffs and rambunctious Raven claw members. He saw people he knew from classes and others he knew personally, like boys that shared a dorm room with him in the past five years. He spotted Neville right away along with Seamus Finnigan and other Gryffindor members. There had to be over a hundred or two hundred people there in the large room all there for him.

The first to approach him was a group of Gryffindors, patting his back and shaking his hands. Then it was just a gigantic mesh of people, Raven claws and Hufflepuffs that hugged him and said, "Happy Birthday." He shook so many hands and said "Thank you," so many times that he was beginning to grow sore. There wasn't much to do, but just seeing everyone was enough for him. There were multiple tables of foods and drinks, streamers all over the roof, and balloons in every room. The place seemed like a mansion with numerous rooms full of people. The last room that Harry finally reached was half outdoors and half inside. The walls stretched into pillars and the ceiling morphed into the fabric roof of a large gazebo. The massive crowd was at its largest here with people talking and laughing all over.

Sure enough, everyone made it their own party. People who were old enough used spells to start different games and shows. In one room was a giant table that resembled something like magical poker and wizard's chest. Whenever a move was made, the crowd cheered and jumped in unison. Another crowd of people formed some kind of magical limbo game with a floating broomstick. Everyone chanted and clapped together like a single roll of thunder as a line of people passed under the stick. It got lower and lower and soon people were struggling. Harry was watching with a wide smile until someone shoved him into the line. Multiple hands pulled him to the front and urged him to go on. Before he knew it, he was leaning under to get through. The stick lowered and the next person to go under was the first to screw up. Their chest bumped the stick and immediately the broomstick shot into the air, whirled around and smacked the boy in the hindquarters, disqualifying him from the game. As everyone laughed, Harry felt someone grab his hand and tug him away.

Hermione dragged him to a clearer spot in the room where Ron stood waiting. "How did you do this?" He asked the moment he caught his breath.

Ron shrugged with that playful Weasley smile. "Oh, you know, it was easy. Just sent practically everyone from Hogwarts a letter for your birthday. Not that big of a deal."

Hermione added, "It was Ron's idea. Since you'd be coming to stay with him anyway, it was a brilliant idea to gather everyone here for you." Then she seemed to turn sensitive and said solemnly, "A lot of people care about you, Harry." She glanced at Ron who nodded in agreement and Harry suddenly couldn't breathe again. Even Hermione looked like she was on the verge of tears. She whipped Harry around and shoved him back into the raging crowd. "Now go have fun! You…bloody idiot!" Harry laughed and did as he was told.

He was lost in the crowd, talking with others and admiring the magic until a hand landed on his shoulder. "Happy Birthday, Harry!" Neville said with that cheeky grin of his. Beside him was Luna.

"Thanks. Hey, Luna."

"Hello, Harry," She said sweetly. She wore a sparkling white dress that matched her bleached blonde hair with something like a grey sweater vest over top. "You're another year older. I always wondered why time moves so slowly and we age so fast. We have a lot of time to do things that we don't bother to do. I always get confused on it. But you're smart, Harry. Maybe you'll figure it out."

"Eh, okay. Thanks, Luna."

Luna wrapped her arm around Neville's and pulled him away. "Come on, Neville. Harry wants to do something else even if he won't say it."

"Okay, have fun, Harry!"

Harry waved as the two disappeared. Apparently everyone was telling him to have fun and he was enjoying himself, he just felt like he was missing something. Maybe Luna was right, he should do something that he hadn't bothered to, but what in the world could that be? He decided to shake it off. When did anything Luna said ever make sense?

As he moved further through the crowd, he found not only were Hogwarts students there, but also teachers. He found Mrs. McGonagall chatting with Hagrid in a far corner. "Ah, Harry!" Hagrid said with that deep tone of his. "Happy Birthday! I remember when you were just twelve years old and I had to bring you to Hogwarts for the first time." He laughed which echoed in the room like a roll of thunder. "Now you're seventeen! I can hardly believe it!"

"I hope you're enjoying your birthday, Harry," Mrs. McGonagall said with a warm smile.

Harry nodded politely and said, "Yes, ma'am. Um, not to be rude or anything, but… why are you here?"

"Someone's got to keep these kids in line." Mrs. McGonagall said. "And frankly, I quite enjoy parties."

Both teachers laughed as if there was some hidden inside joke behind her words and Harry felt a tad bit awkward from it.

"It's not just us," Hagrid said calmly. "Mr. Lupin is around here somewhere, but I doubt you'll find him in this crowd."

Harry nodded. "Tell him I say hello, will you?"

"Will do."

Harry jumped forward and gave the giant a tight hug. Seeing Hagrid with the scruffy touch of his dirty beard and the rough smell of charcoal always reminded him of home. After that he turned to melt back in the crowd. "Good seein' you, Hagrid. You too, Mrs. McGonagall!" They waved and he was gone yet again.

It wasn't long before the sun was lowering into a musky dark orange with a hint of pink across the rolling sky. It gave the party a settling mood which only hyped everyone up more. As the crowds started to form as one, the twins arrived on an upper railing standing above everyone. They tapped the tips of their wands like microphones until the whine of some hidden speakers caught everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" George's voice flowed over everyone like a tidal wave.

"We have not one-"

"-but _two_ formal announcements to make."

"One-"

"Everyone give it up-"

"-for **Harry**!"

Harry flinched and had to cover his ears for a second from the screams that wrapped around him from the center of the crowd.

"And two-" Both twins held up something round and grey, like a ball of clay, in their hands and they both screamed, "Let's party!" As the crowd screamed again, the twins threw the pranks to crowd. They exploded on contact and the room was filled with smoke. It was thin so everyone was able to breathe in it even though it acted thick and colorful like stained fog. Lights of all colors imaginable danced around and pierced through the fog. The music that had been hidden by all the noise was now cranked up to maximum volume. It was elegant and fast paced all wrapped up into an energetic song. When Harry was able to peer through some of the fog, he noticed everyone was moving, dancing, jumping, singing along, and just plain shouting. He stood still for a moment until Ron and Hermione dragged him into it.

Before he knew it, night had fallen, his feet were sore, and he couldn't be happier. He had been stuck by Ron's side for most of the night gulfing down the butter beer that was being served until they could speak normally again. They were talking and laughing, but he couldn't shake something. A tight knot was twisting inside his stomach and it made him uneasy. When Hermione arrived, Harry nudged them over to a quieter corner.

"How long does everyone plan to stay here for?"

Ron shrugged. "Who cares?"

"It's a party, Harry!" Hermione said in a laugh. "We're not here to watch the clock. We're suppose to relax and go wild! You should try it some time. Just have fun!"

There was that word again. How the hell was he suppose to have fun when that missing puzzle piece still refused to fit into the puzzle? Harry couldn't get it off his back. Something was eating at him, something deep from his subconscious. He couldn't deny the party. He was having the time of his life and he couldn't be happier to see everyone so happy beside him. Still, something was telling him the night was over, or should be over, like now.

"That's why we're here!" Hermione finished over the music.

"And," Ron jumped between them and grabbed Harry by the sleeve, "to do some bloody magic!"

Harry immediately charged after him as the whole crowd began to move outside. As if they had planned this, everyone lined up with wands high above their heads and waiting. Ron and Hermione dragged Harry to the front of the line where the twins stood directing everyone.

"All right!" Fred, or maybe George, shouted over the commotion. "On your marks!"

"Get set!"

They turned and everyone faced the top of the nearest hill where the moon stood gracefully, glimmering over them all. Harry stared up at it until Ron nudged him. He glanced to his best friend and saw **that** look-the one where Ron was going to go crazy with magic- and Harry was right in line with him. This was the spell they were going to share for the first time over all the summers they had. All the doubt he had faded away and he easily raised his wand.

"Fire!"

All at once everyone shouted the spell. Beautiful lights emerged from the dozens of wands, some going faster than others and some taking their sweet time. All of the sparks rose high into the air, some swirling and others arching to the meeting point. The sparks added to the gigantic blue flame until it completely blocked the huge moon above them. Then it burst in one loud _snap_! Everyone cheered as it started to rain sparks of all sorts of colors. The magic glittered around the moon, outlining it and striking everyone with awe.

Harry stood panting and smiling with his arm still up in the air at the fading firework. The adrenaline was rushing through his whole body and his arm tingled. Oh, how good it felt to use magic again. He stared up at the firework with such happiness that he thought that time was going to stop. In fact it started to slow and suddenly he felt very still. Something washed over him and all he could see was specifically the red sparks floating down to him. Everything flashed and he saw the sparks morphed into the words, "I… Love… You…" Harry blinked at the cursive red flames until they disappeared. Everyone was still cheering and high-fiving like nothing had happened because nothing had happened. Harry looked beside him and could practically see Draco standing there looking at him in a glare of red under the firework he had shot. The way his golden eyes glimmered over him almost hurt.

Everything snapped back to him when a hand grabbed his shoulder. "You okay, mate?"

Harry blinked and was blinded by something warm. He could hardly see Ron under the tears lining his eyes and he quickly wiped them away. "Uh, yeah, sorry…" He said in a shaky breath. "Something's in my eye."

Neville ran up to Hermione at that next instant and whispered something into her ear. Her face lit up and she turned to Ron. "It's time," she said excitedly.

Harry looked back and forth between them. "Time for what?"

Soon they were dragging him away from the crowd, away from the building, and over the hill. "Seriously, guys, tell me!"

"Nope," Ron said casually and continued to lead the way.

Hermione held his hand as she strolled beside him, looking back to make sure Harry was following. "You have to see it, Harry."

Harry groaned, "I'm not really in the mood. I mean, thanks for the party and everything, but I'm tired of surprises."

"Oh, stop whining. You sound like a girl!"

Harry ran up and gave Ron a playful shove. "Just tell me what-"

"No."

"Then where-"

"Nope."

Harry groaned again and rubbed his eyes under his fogged up glasses. They led him down the hill, through the shadows, and to a completely isolated part of the land. Harry spotted the top of a tent lined with little white lights and he knew that's where they were going. As they approached it, he felt more and more tired.

"Honestly, guys-"

"Just shut up and look." Ron said and he and Hermione pulled apart, revealing the romantic gazebo before them.

Harry literally felt the air get knocked out of him. He choked on a gasp and had stopped breathing. Something bubbled up inside him from what he saw, but he couldn't name it. He felt happy, angry, and sad all at the same time that it burned his very being. He was suddenly light on his toes and was instantly awake.

The gazebo was a simple white tent propped up with a spell so the tarp was hovering in the air. The lights he saw earlier were actually tiny pixies carrying a single flame in their miniature palms as they circled around the roof of the gazebo. Shadows danced all over the blank platform, making it look as mysterious as it did romantic. Yet, out of it all, his silver eyes were locked on the golden pools gleaming before him.

He had imagined seeing him so suddenly like this three times already today that he figured it was just another dream. Until the soft words reached his ears. "Hey, Potter."

Harry felt his chest tighten and he couldn't respond. All he could do was stare and try to breathe. He heard the grass crunch behind him as Ron and Hermione were starting to leave. "We'll see you back at the party," Hermione's voice echoed. He would've turned to see them off, but he couldn't move. He stared for the longest time, looking over the snow white hair that gleamed in the moonlight, getting drawn in by the loose tie he wore over the white dress shirt and black suit pants; the way he was looking at him made him feel so whole again-and he needed to _breathe!_

Finally, his weight shifted forward and he started to run. Draco met him half-way and yanked him into a tight embrace. Harry clutched onto him with everything he had and melted into his warmth. He drowned in his sweet scent, the one that captivated him the first instant he sensed it, and made no attempt to escape. So much rushed through his head, how confused he was, how mad he was, and how happy he was. At last the puzzle piece slipped easily into the puzzle.

When they pulled away just slightly to gaze at each other, Harry picked up his head and began to speak. "I-" That was all Draco allowed him to say before he stole his lips for a kiss. Harry didn't refuse it because he wasn't even sure of what he was going to say. Besides, he couldn't turn down that kiss even if his life depended on it. He surrendered to the tight kiss and soon collapsed in his arms. Draco pulled him closer and pushed his head past his shoulder. He had a hand on the back of Harry's head and squeezed him like it was the last time they were ever going to meet again.

"I'm sorry," Draco said instantly, his voice hushed and hot in Harry's ear. "I'm sorry for everything… But I had to see you."

Harry wiggled free, but still clutched onto his arms as Draco did to his. "Why didn't you write back? Why did you just suddenly disappear?" At these questions, Draco fell silent. The shadows moved across his face and his golden eyes darkened in a fit of sorrow. Harry felt the knot in his stomach return and he couldn't breathe right. "Y-You could've just told me an-and I would've-"

"I know," Draco interrupted and pulled him close again. He stood face to face with him, every inch of their bodies touching and laid his lips gently on the brunette's forehead. "I'll explain everything soon. We'll talk about it later… But for now," he looked into the silver eyes of his lover and softly caressed his cheek. He was quiet for a minute at they stared and Harry found himself leaning into Draco's touch. "God, I missed you."

They kissed again and they held it longer than before. They hugged each other tightly and just merely stood there, embracing as one until they lost the sense of time. Just sharing the warmth and exchanging kisses was sweet enough to last them a life time. Such a chill of pleasure and an unnamable sensation would dance across their skin which only made them crave for more.

In amidst of it all, they caught the faint sound of the music coming from afar. The song was slow and classical, of course; the perfect slow song. Before Harry could even think of what to say, Draco dragged him under the center of the gazebo and snatched his hands. "May I have this dance?" The white haired fiend asked slyly with that teasing expression on his face.

Harry almost laughed. "I'm surprised you even know how to dance."

"Shut up," Draco muttered and yanked him close.

Two of their hands connected at their sides while Harry's hand went to Draco's shoulder and Draco's hand went to Harry's waist. They paused as the music did and then slowly started to move. Harry stepped back as Draco moved forward, leading the dance in perfect match with the music. Harry nervously followed, trying not to mess up. He wasn't a bad dancer; it was just that dancing so close to the man he loved after not seeing him for a while had his head spinning faster than he could think.

He had his head lowered for most of the dance, trying to concentrate on the slow paced steps. Back, then forward, pivot, forward, back, turn around and repeat- back, then forward…

After a while, he unconsciously raised his head. Draco was staring at him. His eyes were mesmerizing in the dimmed lights, looking as devilish and beautiful as ever, but his face… His expression was blank and lost-the way he looked before they started dating, the look when they were _enemies_. "What's wrong?" Harry asked almost instantly.

Draco slowly shook his head. "Nothing…" His expression didn't change.

Harry felt his stomach drop. They continued to dance for a minute until Harry's feet stopped firmly on the concrete. He grabbed Draco's hand and held it close. In a tight voice, he said suddenly, "If you leave like that again, I won't forgive you!" Draco stopped surprised, but Harry continued. "I-I'll let it go this time… but you'll have to make up for it… Er, well, I guess this counts… But next time tell me before you just disappear, okay?"

Draco stared for a second, then his hard shield dissolved. He smiled and a snicker escaped his lips. He pulled him close yet again and cupped his face once more. "I love you," he whispered softly before kissing him. When he pulled away, that evil smirk was on him again. "And don't worry, I'll make up for it in _**full**_."

Harry jumped with a gasp as Draco's hand gave him a quick squeeze on the butt. "You-!" Draco whipped him around fast, turned him off his feet, and dipped him back. Harry felt like a girl in one of those romantic movies where the guy dips her back when they're dancing and gets pulled up slowly for a kiss. Yet, Draco tugged him quickly back into his arms and squeezed him tight, one of those more realistic moments. But the kiss still came and it was sweeter and more passionate than any other cliché moment.

Yet, too soon came the time where they had to part. The music died down from the party and practically everyone started to cheer. It was loud enough to make both boys turn their heads toward the sound. When Harry looked back, Draco was starting to release him.

"You should get back."

Harry immediately leaned after him, not wanting to separate again. "But-"

"No." Draco said bluntly with a finger raised. "They're all here for you. So go see them."

"I've already seen them," Harry said, although it was a little selfish. "I've seen them, talked to them, hugged them, danced with them-I just don't want to go back…."

Draco smiled softly for a minute, then glanced back at the hill that separated them from the party. A chill seemed to wash over him as the wind kicked up a bit. He practically threw Harry's hands away in that moment. "I won't leave…okay?" He said, his voice a little tight. Harry was silent, but didn't move a single step. Draco took a step back and motioned his head for the party. "I promise I'll be here when everyone's gone. Just go have fun." The words rang in the air and Harry only grew tense. Draco sighed, stepped forward and snatched his face. Out of nowhere came a quick kiss where Draco's cold tongue slipped past his teeth and sent shivers down Harry's back. It made his head spin and all his doubt washed away. They pulled away for the slowest time all night and stood completely against the other.

"Everyone probably snuck out of their muggle homes to come here… The least you can do is say good-bye before I steal you. Right?"

Harry hesitated, but nodded. He was the one to pull away this time and stepped out of the gazebo. "Promise?" He choked out at which Draco smiled.

"I love you," was his answer.

The words made Harry stumble over his own feet. "I love you, too…" He quickly turned away otherwise he wouldn't have been able to leave at all. He charged up the hill the best he could and stopped to look back one more time. He could hardly see Draco's outline under the dim-lighted gazebo. He swallowed down the lump in throat, settled his racing heart, and returned to the party.

Everyone was as he left them, wild and excited like a bunch of animals. They were all crowding to the front of the half-indoor, half-outdoor room where the twins stood along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. McGonagall and Hagrid stood close by and Harry spotted Mr. Lupin and a few other teachers somewhere in the crowd. He felt like he was gathering for a Hogwart's assembly and it was as magical as it sounded. Everyone was smiling and laughing. Others were playing with mild magic tricks. Harry stood in the middle of the crowd, gazing over everyone and how happy they were-including himself.

"We'd like to thank everyone for coming out here," Arthur said politely and loud enough for everyone to hear.

George spoke next. "We appreciate everyone's help in organizing this-"

"-and sneaking out of your houses to do it." The crowd laughed while Molly smacked Fred in the arm.

"So for one last time," Arthur said, "let's give it up for **Harry**!"

The crowd screamed once more and applauded. Harry received numerous glances, cheers, pats on the back and raised wands. It was the highlight of the party, the happiest moment of the entire day. Every face was bright, every pair of lips shouting and cheering with glee. Harry felt completely surrounded by it and watched everything happen until time stopped. It slowly tuned down until everything was in slow motion, happening frame-by-frame. That's when he suddenly felt cold. A surprising gust of wind came out of nowhere and seemed to circle around him. It was oblivious to everyone else, but Harry knew it was real. It covered his arms in goose bumps and the feeling it gave-that eerie, ghastly feeling-made the hairs on the back of his neck. All the sounds drowned out from him and all he heard was the wind; such a horrible wind. A loud, harsh breeze that was like a nasty whisper wrapping around him tighter and tighter like some vile snake. It constricted him until his breathing halted for a moment and he was forced to stop. In that one instant, faster than the blink of an eye, he heard it. The wretched voice that made his very soul leave his body and it whispered in the wind-no, it _was_ the wind.

"_Haaaarrrrry…._"

Suddenly, Harry whipped around right as time, sound, and reality snapped back to him. At the back of the crowd, something exploded. It was a quick and loud _pop_ that made everyone jump. Someone screamed, but it came up short. The applause stopped and the cheering toned down. In the next moment, another explosion. Then another. They came one after the other like some wicked firecracker. They happened in every room simultaneously until everyone started to panic.

A _whoosh_ echoed through the air and the room lit up brightly. Everyone only had a second to see it before it crashed. Harry turned and all he saw was flames. So bright and so close that they burned his face to the point internal damage. The fireball crashed into the party, hitting right into the center of the crowd. It exploded, breaking the ground into pieces and shattering the crowd like they were a group of ants. The building trembled as the fire spread like crazy, burning anyone in close range.

Next thing Harry knew, he was on the ground. Everyone was running, screaming. He was on his knees, trying to see correctly. He saw blurred feet charging all around him. That's when he realized he had dropped his glasses. He patted his naked face then smacked the ground until he got them back on. Everyone was panicking, screaming, and running in every direction. Harry looked up above them and saw the hole in the ceiling where the fireball had entered. As he gazed up, the air was being ripped to shreds in his ears and he clearly saw more and more flames raining down toward the building. The crackle of flames was close by, too-in fact too close. He could feel the heat burning his back.

He was stumbling to his feet when Ron snatched his arm and dragged his away. "Move!" He screamed over the commotion.

Not long after they moved, another explosion happened behind them, where Harry was previously sitting. The tremor knocked them to their feet and half the room fell. Another fireball crashed through the ceiling with a horrible crack and covered the entire front of the room with flames. They were wild and large, whipping all over the room madly. Hermione ran into the boys and together they charged for the nearest opening in the pillars that wasn't blocked by flames. Another explosion split the ceiling in two an it started to rain down. A wand raised high in the air momentarily paused it with a strong spell. The caster was unknown, but Harry could see the Weasley parents still positioned by the flames. They were able to tilt the massive mounds of concrete away from the fleeing students and into one flaming pile.

A burst of flames snapped at the kids, causing them to scream and pull back. Mr. Lupin appeared behind them and shoved them toward a direction that seemed blocked, but as they approached closer, the flames were only swaying in the doorway. They sprinted out, rushing into the cold night air so fast that it stung. Like everyone else, they gathered on the bottom of the hill away from the building. Everyone was smoking, some were burnt, and they were all frightened. Just as the last people started to reach safety, the building collapsed entirely. The flames swirled up into one destructive cloud, rising higher than anyone imagined possible. Just as it seemed to decrease, it exploded one final time, the flames shooting straight up into the air. The black smoke and brightest flames morphed together in one quick motion. Soon, towering over them all was a flaming skull with smoky-black eyes and a blue-flame snake crawling all around it.

As much as everyone was taken aback by it, Harry was the one most struck. The sight pierced right through his chest in the most painful way that it ripped his soul and pride to shreds. The pain was as extensive as the fear, but all he could do was sit and stare, wondering exactly what the cause of such pain was…

From atop the hill, Draco peered over the flames. Through the burning building he could see all the students gathered like animals watching the flames go higher with every passing second. He was the last to lower his wand among the group of people. The rest of the darkly dressed adults were very peeked, backs straight with accomplished composure and others laughing with pure, evil delight. Draco was the only one with a hurt look gazing over the destruction he took part of. He knew it was going to be hard to do it, but never had he imagined it would be this massive, this painful. He stood in a fit of sorrow, knowing that the burnt brunette was somewhere down below. Yet, the others started to leave, despite his hidden feelings. He gave the building one last look, then followed the Death Eaters as they left from a job well done.

**I AM SO SORRY! It shouldn't have taken me a whole month to update, but I was having personal problems, school problems, then there was Halloween. I know you guys don't care about my excuses but I just want you to know I didn't just get lazy and give up. I worked every minute I could. Anyway, I split it into two parts because it's really long. I hope it's good. Please review and tell me how it is.**


	11. Forgive Me

The house was still. Usually after an exciting day like a birthday, everyone is settled with satisfaction and glee, but not today. Today everyone had their heads low, eyes on the floor, and heads spinning-questions racing over and over again, searching-begging for answers they couldn't receive. The kids sat in the living room, gathered together as a single unit, while the parents merely stood by, trying to cope them into understanding. Hermione sat in Ron's arms while Ginny sat at the end of the couch near the standing twins. Harry sat completely away from them in a isolated chair, hands over his face and in the worst condition of them all.

"Was….anyone hurt?" The brunette finally spoke.

Arthur was the one to answer him. "Not severely… Just a few scratches and burns…" His voice trailed off as he covered his bandaged arm in his coat.

Harry shook his head and sat back in the chair. Hermione spoke next. "How did it happen?" She asked desperately. "I mean, who would want to-" She cut herself off at that question.

Of course it wasn't the who, but the why. And both questions were half answered. _He_ would do something like that and He would do it because of Harry. That's where the questions popped up. Did he want to kill him? His friends? Just to get close to him? Or was it for fun? If that, then what could Harry do? If these were to become daily, what was he supposed to do to protect the others around him as well as himself?

The silence was interrupted by a knock at the door. Gentle and normal, but completely out of nowhere. Molly went to the door with Arthur close behind, wands ready just in case. When they opened the door, however, it was the last person they suspected. "Oh," Mrs. Weasley's voice drifted from the entry way. "Harry, uh… Come here…"

The others stood up with him and only followed him halfway. When Harry looked up, he was taken aback yet again. The old man was there for real this time, no glows or residue of a spell, just tall and wise in dull clothing. His hands were together behind his back and he had a solemn, straight face on. "Hello, Molly, Arthur…Harry."

"Dumbledore…" Harry wished he was as delighted to see him like all the times before, but he knew that by his real presence that there was trouble.

"I wish I was here on better terms, Harry… But we have a problem." Harry didn't respond, more like he couldn't respond. He only nodded at the old man's words and headed back into the living room. They all took a seat as Dumbledore stood before them like the proud mentor he was. "The attack you received yesterday… I hope no one was hurt." The sentence came as a question to which Arthur shook his head to. Dumbledore nodded slightly. "Good… Harry, I'm sure you already know of this, but that attack was Voldemort's doing."

Everyone grew tense at the name. Harry was the only one who grew bold and furious. "What does he want?" He asked tightly and straight up. "Why did he do it?"

"To warn you." Dumbledore said it bluntly, which surprised everyone. He then took a deep breath and explained, "I had some brave men and women track Voldemort down as much as they could over the years. The Order of the Phoenix was created to stop Tom's actions from ever arising again. We have been following him since he returned and it seems he has finally made his move." Dumbledore looked directly into Harry's eyes and said clearly, "He's coming after you, Harry."

Hermione looked desperately over to Harry who only sat there, trying to keep his cool. So he was being hunted down to be killed like some stupid animal. Perfect.

Hermione sat forward dramatically. "But why? W-Why does he have to kill him?"

"Only one can live successfully when the other is dead."

Harry cringed. Great, so not only was he being hunted, but it was unavoidable either way. He dropped his head and clenched his fists tighter on his lap.

Arthur asked steadily, "What have they found?"

"A lot of things," Dumbledore answered. "We determined that he is ten steps ahead of us. He has planned this out for years and is why he has taken so long to finally move. Also, he is growing weaker. If one of them doesn't die, they will both perish together."

"And that's because we share a soul…isn't it?" Harry asked coldly. He remembered the fact from a previous conversation with the old man some time ago. Dumbledore nodded and Harry tightened up. "So that's it then? One of us has to die."

"And he's making the first move." Ron said quietly.

"Yes, but this isn't a game. He has men. And lots of them. The Order has traced a lot of them down and we know who they are. As far as their whereabouts… Well, consider them like smoke, in one instant they are there and the next they're gone in the shadows. We can't get a definite location on them, but we know who they are." He went on, "They all serve Tom like servants, called Death Eaters. They only use Dark Magic and are very dangerous. If you are to come into contact with one, do not fight them. For the most part, they will be tracking you down, Harry, and they will be ruthless. Anyone in their way, they will show no mercy. They are also scattered across the state, staying hidden until a threat comes up."

"What are they protecting?" Mr. Weasley asked, taking part in the serious matter. "If they remain hidden in a specific location, they have to hiding something, correct?"

"Yes." He faced Harry and brought his hands in front of him. "Harry, your soul is in contact with Voldemort's. In order to keep that part away from others and have a better chance at being the soul to live, he split it. He not only has one soul, but seven. He even confided them into a magical object with a distinct way of destroying it and hid it all over the globe. They are called Horcruxes; vile, dark art magic. With these objects still thriving, Tom cannot die."

"So we have to destroy them?" Ron asked at which Dumbledore immediately answered.

"No. The Order has already tracked most of them down. Getting to them was easy, destroying them is the hard part. But… That's what we're taking care of. For you three, I want you to stay here, hidden and-"

"No!" Harry jumped to his feet. "He wants me, right? I won't just stand by while others fight for me."

"The last time you saw Voldemort, Harry, was when you were a newborn. You are not capable of-"

"I'm not a child anymore!" He snapped. "I watched Cedric Diggory die because of me! If it's a battle to the death, then I'm going to win."

Dumbledore dropped his eyes and Harry felt stricken with pain. If Dumbledore was so concerned as to be troubled by his words like that, then this was farther over his head than he thought. "You only had a glimpse, Harry. You may be angry. But there are others. We knew Tom like a friend and watched him turn to what he is now. He has hurt a lot of people. You may be involved, but right now, you're the victim. We can't let him get to you." He looked to Hermione, Ron, and the ginger parents standing close by. "I can trust you will keep him close."

"Of course," Molly said immediately. Harry looked away, defeated and past despicable anger.

Dumbledore nodded again and his beard swayed slightly on his chest. "You want to stay hidden, Harry, and you might have to move from this place soon. There are too many people after you to keep count. The Death Eaters will be everywhere. Luckily we know a majority of them."

"Who?" Harry asked quickly.

Dumbledore shook his head. "As far as you're concerned, the only people you want to trust are everyone in this room."

"What about others or teachers, like Hagrid? Or members of the Order?" Hermione suggested in an attempt of something positive.

Dumbledore shook his head. "Some of Tom's men know the Order members personally. They could easily take on their form or another of someone close to you or Harry and end it right there."

Harry lifted his eyes again and spoke coldly. "Who are they?"

Everyone gave him suspicious and concerned glances. Dumbledore looked at him straight on and understood his fearful boldness. "Some men you don't know. There are others you could know… Like Bellatrix LeStrange, the cousin of Serious Black… There are over a hundred Death Eaters out there, Harry. That's why trust who you know and stay close to them."

"In that case, we all stay together. We'll go to a location that we'll tell you and-"

"No," Dumbledore cut Molly off with a raise of a single finger. "You'll go where no one else knows about, not even other family members and hide there. We can't have any trace of finding you. We'll need a lot of strength. That's why it's fortunate the Weasley family is so large. We will use that to our advantage and…"

The voices faded from Harry. He was still stuck on the previous topic, of the who, and suddenly everything rushed to him. _"You don't know what he has going on at home…" "Family problems…" "I can deal with my father…"_ The Death Eaters, the fire, Voldemort, suddenly all of it came rushing at him so fast he could hardly believe it.

"Malfoy…" He heard himself say with his eyes on the ground. Whoever he interrupted didn't seem to mind because suddenly all the attention was on him. He slowly lifted his gaze and asked, "Is the Malfoy family involved? The **whole** family?" When the silence came instinctively, hysteria bubbled up inside him and he practically shouted, "Tell me!"

Dumbledore gave everyone a compromising glance and let out a struggling breath. "Yes, all the members of the Malfoy family are involved. Lucius is right beside Tom and has been a large part of this plan." A painful tension rose into the air. It was as if something tangible and powerful ripped through the air, striking right through Harry. The others saw it even though Harry made no movement nor spoke. The way his body froze up and his eyes stayed dark and bold was clear signs that he was hurt beyond any means possible. "Lucius, Narcissa, and Bellatrix are the main enemies here, Harry." Dumbledore spoke calmly, "They are the ones mostly involved with Tom and his games. Draco, however, is on the sidelines. None of the members of the Order have seen any sign of him in the dangerous actions taking place."

Harry lowered his eyes to the floor and tried to control his queer heartbeat. It suddenly seemed like he couldn't breathe right and he could feel his chest tightening with every beat his heart skipped. When he found everyone staring at him it only made the pain worse. He whipped away and tried to gain control of himself. He was falling so fast, losing his temper, breath, and mind all at once that he didn't know what to do about it. "So that's it?" He said through tight lips, his voice shuddering on the words. "I just…hide out here with my friends while everyone else I know and love fights for me? Do you really expect me to do that?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Harry, we need you. You can't be at risk. You are the main key here. You will be put in the drawer for the time being… But the time will come when we will pull you out and use you at the most important time… Remember what I always told you about patience."

It was quiet for a long time. Everyone watched as Harry seemed to…give in. His body relaxed and suddenly he was calm. No, he was far being all right, but his body was put on Auto-pilot and he acted completely settled just like that. "Yeah," he said slowly. "Yeah, I know…"

The pain echoing off him almost brought tears to Hermione's eyes. She jumped to her feet, reaching for him in the process, but he was already moving. "Thanks, Dumbledore," the words came out bluntly as Harry left the room casually.

The room fell silent as everyone tried to accept exactly what just happened. Hermione followed the distant shadow to the hallway, but came up short. She watched the brunette leave, then faced the crowd desperately. They all sat still, understanding the pain, wanting to help, but knowing they couldn't.

"I did not lie to him," Dumbledore said smoothly. "We will need him… But for now, I'm trusting you will keep him safe." He turned for the door, his arms still politely behind his back and composure still tall and strong. "I will have messages sent to you somehow, so please be ready for anything-"

"Professor Dumbledore!" Ron was the one to shout. The old man stopped in his tracks as the ginger jumped at his back. He looked almost as worse as Harry, entirely uneasy and hurt. "Did … Did you lie about Draco?" The question was simple, but all the more important.

Dumbledore stood tall for amoment, then hung his head in disappointment. Slowly, he nodded and Ginny's gasp broke the silence. "He was present during the attack," he mumbled quietly.

"He _helped_?" Ron said tensely. Hermione grabbed his arm, but he pulled away, stepping closer to the old man. "He attacked us? He attacked Harry?"

"We're not sure." Dumbledore answered honestly. "He was just witnessed at the scene…" He went to say more, but Hermione butted in.

"But he was there… I mean, we invited him and he met with Harry. They talked outside alone for a while and…and…"

Ron slowly shook his head and said with a bold tone. "He wouldn't do it…" Hermione looked at him and he said again, "He wouldn't hurt Harry like that… Not on his own…"

Dumbledore finished firmly, "Facts are that shots were fired, Death eaters were there, and Harry's in danger. I'll talk to you again soon. For now…Keep him here. Keep him safe." He looked to the kids. "And don't tell him what I just told you… He doesn't need to know." With a thin smile and a nod, he said goodbye and left through the front door like any other day.

When things tried to return to normal, everything was still off. The twins were still goofy and joking around, but they hadn't pulled any pranks in hours. Ginny was still off to herself, helping her mother and father from time to time, but all three of them were tense and distant from their surroundings. Hermione sat by Ron most of the time since they thought it was best to leave Harry off by himself. They were in the process of discussing dinner and accepting spells in the house when a creak pierced the air. Only Ron noticed and he found the source at the silently closing back door. He peeked through the curtains and saw the brunette hair charging up the hill. When no one was looking, he slipped out after him.

Coming up on the hill, Harry was facing the large open fields, trying to see past the darkness and the secrets it held. He was surprised when Ron stopped beside him, but he didn't say anything. The red-head easily saw that Harry was having trouble by the shaky visible breaths in the air. Yet he didn't speak either, just stood beside him also examining the shadows rolling over the valley. The wind whipped at their thin clothes, giving them goose bumps and chills to no end, but both refused to leave. The silence settled over them for such a long time that they both expected the sun to rise at any moment.

"You all right?" Ron eventually muttered, his voice warm in the cold wind.

Harry didn't answer. He couldn't even lie to himself if he was okay or not. He stared at his feet for a while before even thinking about responding. "Do you think he did it?" He asked, his breath trembling and cold.

Ron sighed and ran his large fingers through his orange locks. "Ah, you already know my answer, mate."

Harry forced out a tiny, weak laugh. "Yeah… I know…" The fake face fell quickly and Ron finally turned to him.

"You can't sit through this, Harry," he began.

"I know," Harry repeated. "Hermione said the same thing."

"I don't care. You're gonna hear it from me, too. Look, mate, I… I don't know if Draco is involved as he seems to be… but if he is-"

"I **know**, Ron!" Harry snapped and quickly turned away. The pain was obvious in his voice and he tried to regain his breath again. "I know…"

"He could be innocent…" The words came out tight and Ron felt uneasy about them since they sounded weak coming from him. "He could… have nothing to do with it. You don't know-"

"Yeah, Ron, but what are the chances of that?" Harry spat harshly and groaning after them. "God damn it, I can't take this!" He clutched to his hair and slowly fell to his knees.

The silence wrapped around them again, taking over their hazy minds and blurry eyes. Ron just stood there until Harry's trembling body came to a stop and his hands slowly fell to the ground. The wind hissed around them as if mocking them somehow and neither boy could argue something back. It was unnerving, but both of them had calmed down.

Slowly, Ron stepped in front of his best friend and extended a hand. Harry stared at the hand then gently met Ron's gaze. The ginger smiled-and it was better than normal. It was one of those smiles they shared when everything was not falling apart, when they were laughing at Hogwarts together, or playing Quidditch together-it was honest. "I won't give up if you don't…"

It sounded so simple, but so hard at the same time. To watch others fight for you, to go into hiding until the fires ended, to put down your wand while others are picking them up; To try and believe in something that seemed so unlikely, to hold onto something when it goes to waste, to stand up and move on…

He silently took Ron's hand and his warmth made him smile. He helped him to his feet saying, "Screw standing around. That's bloody ridiculous. I'll help you fight _Him_, Harry…" Harry was starting to feel whole again until Ron shrugged and said a little shyly, "Well, unless _He_ turns into a giant spider or something. Then I might have to leave you alone on the battlefield…"

By some miracle, Harry laughed. The innocent fear in his friend's face had never changed even if the years had made him taller and bolder. The cold was gone now, his body was used to it, and he felt better. Even if he couldn't jump back into the house and act merry with the others, he could still smile and mean it wholeheartedly. They stared for a minute, sharing the smile, then Ron put on a composed, solemn face. "He will come back… He will…"

The words took Harry by surprise so much that he got a shiver of goose bumps again. It was shocking and almost scary that Ron could believe in Draco when he despised him in such a way. Harry loved Draco and he was giving up before he could even think about it. _"Don't leave me, okay?" _The words echoed in his head. _"Are you kidding?" "You're in my trap now…You're not ever getting out." _Harry closed his eyes at the memory, remembering the sweet kiss he received after such words were said.

The silence returned and all he could see was Draco smirking at him, gently holding him, passionately kissing him. All the nights he spent in the Slytherin dorms, every time he snuck out of classes to see him. The way he kissed him, the way he teased him, everything he did… It seemed so whole-hearted. If it was just a game, someone as stubborn as Draco wouldn't drag a cruel joke on for that long. Echoing through his mind was the soft, extravagant voice whispering in his ear, "I love you, Harry…"

Suddenly flashes of someone flashed through his mind. That bastard that had caused all this trouble. The one who killed his parents. The one who shared a soul with him. The one that wanted him dead. Now that so called person was coming after him. Attacked his friends. His family. Now he was threatening the man he loved?

At that moment, Harry pulled himself together. It wasn't true. He wouldn't believe it unless he saw it with his own eyes and heard it from Draco directly. He was no longer hurt, but furious. He stood up straight and firmly faced Ron. After a long moment, he spoke clearly and strongly, "I want to kill him… Voldemort, I will kill him and stop everything."

…**...**

Draco sat as still as he could. The dark wood under his hands was cold and numbed the rest of his body. He sat with his head down, despite his father's orders. He couldn't look up. He couldn't face the others around him; the Death Eaters and Dark Followers of this man. He was sitting at the same table as them now. He was just as bad as them. Yet, he was the youngest. The son of Lucious Malfoy. They would look down at him like everyone else did. If he continued to act like a coward then they would treat him like one-or worse. They wouldn't even bother with him.

He raised his head and lost his breath. He recognized the evil faces who also sat still with fear. Others were bold and trying to be strong, like he was hoping to accomplish. He even saw Professor Snape, sitting down the left side of the long table, giving him numerous glances from time to time. All of them had killed people. All of them caused nightmares at night. All of them were vile and disgusting and not even worthy to be burned and brushed under a filthy mud blood's rug. And _he was one of them._

A sharp elbow stabbed his ribs. His father glared down at him and motioned his head up. Draco did as he was ordered and sat up straight with his chin held high like his father's. He had to represent the Malfoy family as his father did. He wasn't a coward. Except his hands couldn't stop trembling. He squeezed them tight, but the tremors moved up to his shoulders, shaking his whole body. He sat on his hands and panted silently. To think he would be invited to one of the Dark Meetings with the Dark Lord himself. One mistake and he'd die. They wouldn't hesitate to kill him and his father probably wouldn't even bother to lift a finger to help him.

He closed his eyes to comfort himself, to calm down and breathe again, but all he saw was brown. The soft curls of the brunette's hair slipping between his fingers as he gently combed through his hair. He turned the head to the silver pools that gleamed beautifully at him from under the thin pieces of glass. The warmth flowed into his hand from the boy's flushed cheeks and it spread to his chest when he watched him smile. Leaning in to kiss him brought him so much happiness that he almost believed the vision was real until-

_BANG_! The door slapped open and Draco opened his eyes. He heard the awful hiss and a shiver went rolling up his back. The long green snake came slithering from the doorway and up the long table. It curled down the left side of the table, sliding past everyone until it reached the end. Draco watched it carefully as if it would just turn around and bite his head off, killing him before he had the chance to screw up. It reached the end, swirled around and came back the right side, examining everyone at the meeting. When it got close to Draco's seat, it slowed down and met his golden eyes. Draco froze immediately, going pale and holding in his breath. Nagini seemed to smile at him as if mocking him, then hissed and rolled on. Draco kept still, glaring at the snake as it left, feeling once again doubted. Suddenly the Killing Curse didn't seem so useless at this moment.

"Ah," the hoarse sigh echoed into the room and Draco froze again. Voldemort strolled in wearing that ragged robe and disgusting smug look on his face. "Welcome, all… My faithful servants…"

Draco had to look away from the man. He couldn't bare the sight of him now, knowing what was coming and what he was apart of. It made a sick feeling boil up in pit of his stomach, making him feel horrible and weak. His head was starting to spin and he had to close his eyes to gain back his focus. If only he could run out of there like everything else, just get up and run and not care who said what or how many people hated him. As long as he was away from this terrible feeling, nothing else would matter.

Draco heard the head chair at the very end of the table screech as it was pulled back. "You all know… why you are here," Voldemort began slowly while he sat down, his voice full of danger. "As you may recall… I share a soul with this…boy. He is not to be taken lightly… nor shall his helpers be…underestimated. Four of my Horcruxes have already… been destroyed." As he said this, his boney fingers slipped over Nagini's head in a light pat. "If I plan to…fully restore my position on this world… **Harry Potter**…** has to die**."

At that Draco opened his eyes. Of course the fact was obvious, but hearing it said out-loud as a mission was truly soul-shaking. He felt his core shiver and he had to shake off a tremor rising up within him.

"They're going to move him," a shaky voice said, a member of the Death Eaters.

"An ambush… at the hideout is too….boring. Even misplaced, if you will… He needs to be captured… and brought into my hands… so I… may be the one… to end his life."

Draco grabbed the end of the chair in an attempt of control. Harry, the boy he had jumped into a relationship with. Harry, the boy he kissed many times and held him at night numerous times after, the boy he loved-and here he was _planning his death_.

Professor Snape spoke next in that deep monotone of his. "On his travels, then. If we attack when they're vulnerable, Potter will be easy to capture."

Lucius spoke in a haughty tone. "That plan is shattered already. Albus will be at his side when he is being moved. An attack at his side will only result in failure."

"Then we'll kill him," Voldermort said it as if it were something like a game-nothing of any importance. "Albus has…overstayed his welcome… in my eyes."

Draco lifted his head in surprise. Professor Dumbledore… actually dead and gone? The leader of Hogwarts and Harry's second father? He was going to help kill him? He realized at such times like this that words were very fragile. One could say they were going to commit murder, but to actually stand up and do so was a completely different thing. But here, these people meant what they said. He knew; he listened and watched their actions follow their words. His father said they were going to crash the party and so it happened. They said they were going to kill Dumbledore, and so it will happen. Words were all the importance here. Especially in a place like this. If he were to live to see Harry again **alive**, he would have to watch his words very carefully.

"How?" Someone asked from down the table.

"Albus is to not be taken lightly…" Voldemort said, his voice lingering eerily in the air. "He probably… has already seen this coming… For Harry Potter's sake… he will not stop us."

Draco could believe that. Dumbledore dying for Harry's sake. He had been doing everything for the boy since he was born. But if he died… Harry would be left in the open. **Wide** open. He'd be so vulnerable that nothing would stop Voldemort from getting to him. Unless…

"His only protection would be the Order," Lucius said with a little smug look on his pale face.

However, Snape contradicted him. "And his friends."

"The Weaslys?" Lucius laughed. "Those filthy gingers are too weak to protect themselves. Potter is defenseless as long as Albus is out of the way."

Voldemort had the room silenced when Nagini gave the table a bone-chilling hiss. "The Order… is not a concern. Once Albus is out of the way… I will have Potter all for myself…" Suddenly his snake-like eyes turned on Draco and he felt his whole body freeze on the spot. "Draco…" he called and lifted a hand out to him merely to point him out. Draco lifted his chin high when all the eyes of the Death eaters looked at him, at least acting like he was prepared for this. "You will be the one…to lure Harry out to me."

He didn't explain the plan and he didn't have to. It was obvious. He wanted Draco to get Harry away from his friends so that he would able to kill him head-on right then and there. He could already see it-saw himself pulling Harry out into the middle of nowhere and stepping back. Then a blast of power and the brunette would be on the ground, smothered in blood. His father would pat him on the back, proud of him, and Voldemort would be standing behind him, laughing, mocking him. And Harry would lie there, bleeding, bleeding so much…

He must've jumped when he snapped out of the illusion because his father gave him a fierce kick in the shin. Without thinking, he cleared his throat and nodded, saying as clear as his tight throat would let him. "Yes, my Lord…"

"But…" Someone spoke up, but quickly died down when Voldemort gave him a sharp glare. He dropped his head and spoke slower, "My Lord… if we leave the Order to do as they wish… They might interfere."

"Then kill them," Voldemort spat and Nagini hissed as if laughing at the man. "Once Albus Dumbledore…is out of the way… Harry Potter will be mine."

He then went into a vile chuckle where he described how he would face Harry head-on and kill him in one shot. The Killing Curse. How delighted he would be to watch him suffer and die. Draco started to lose it. They were going to kill Dumbledore, push everyone aside, and Draco was going to hold Harry in place as Voldemort killed him. That would be even worse than watching him die-betraying him so deeply and so suddenly.

Everything was happening so fast now. Four men even stood up to go track Dumbledore down. Tomorrow they would move Harry and that's when they'd attack. He would have to help drag Harry away and set him up for his death sentence. Voldemort would stroll right in, proud and victorious-and so cruel. He would kill Dumbledore, Harry, and everyone around him, including his friends… his friends….

"Be prepared gentlemen…." Voldemort said slowly and almost anxiously. "Tomorrow night… I will kill Harry Potter…and suppress this world-"

"**No**!"

Draco didn't realize he had been the one who screamed until every single one of the men in the room quickly turned on him. They all stared at him as if he were insane and expected him to die in a few seconds. Even his father stared in utter shock and disbelief. Draco froze up again and pure fear swallowed him whole when the silence started to choke him. When he met Voldemort's eyes, the Dark Lord looked ready to kill him-not from anger, but from curiosity of why he suddenly defied him and just for spite. Even Nagini slithered over and parted his scalely mouth, showing off his fangs. His head started to crouch back, getting ready to strike for his throat when Voldemort gave him the word.

Draco was staring at the white fangs, such sharp points that would produce blood at the mere touch of them. He felt the air in his lungs vanish from him and his heart sank deep into his gut. Before the snake could kill him, or before Voldemort could say something, Draco heard himself talking.

"His friends…" The words didn't come out as strong as he wanted, so he took a deep breath and repeated them. "His friends. Attack his friends." Voldemort raised his eyebrows with a mocking, cold look in his eyes and rolled his hand at him to continue. Draco couldn't feel his knees, but he forced himself to stand anyway. Lucius tried to grab him and yank him back down, but Draco shook out of his grip. "I've seen Potter in action… and what he cares most for are the people around him. He has too many protectors as it is. Pushing them aside is easier said then done. If you attack his friends… Kill the only people he have left and you won't have to capture him. Kill Dumbledore… kill his friends… and Harry potter will come to you… My lord."

It was hard to believe that he had spoken so clearly and boldly considering his life was on the line. But he was suddenly full of rage so much that it made him stand up straight and he even looked Nagini in the eye and glared. The snake gave a low hiss and returned to Voldemort's side. The Dark lord, however, sat satisfied and convinced. A small, thin smile crawled onto his lips, obvious that the thought of Harry walking up to his death was far more enjoyable than hunting him down.

"That's it then…" Voldemort slowly climbed to his feet and left one hand on the table for Nagini to slither off of. "Snape, lead these men…into killing Albus… And slaughter his friends. This… Draco… I count you will not fail me on…"

Lucius stood up with a firm hand on his son's shoulder and answered for him. "Of course not, My lord."

Draco finally closed his eyes and relaxed. Instead of envisioning Harry on the floor, he saw Ron and Hermione being killed. Still a horrible thing to see, but to him it was better than watching the one he loved be killed by his hands.

_Forgive me, Harry…_ He thought as he opened his eyes again. _But I'm doing anything it takes to keep you alive…_

**I'm so sorry that it took me this long to update xP but whatever I typed it just didn't fit. I wanted this to be perfect so I could continue it correctly. Please forgive me! Review and tell me what you think, please and thank you. Till my next update!**


	12. Deceive Me

Harry was deep in sleep when reality suddenly snapped him awake. The blackness was subtle and warm, like a snug blanket wrapped around him that suddenly slapped him in the face. He was dazed for a second, the darkness of the room tricking his mind into thinking he was still asleep, but something was wrong. There was a tight feeling in the atmosphere, like some kind of reason was being ripped apart. Harry couldn't name it even as the house shook slightly under him. It wasn't until a light spell was activated in his face and he saw Hermione hovering over him. The look of utter fear on her face was enough to shock him awake.

"Harry, wake up!" She was screaming.

Harry finally came to and realized he had practically slept through the beginning of a war. The house was shaking, someone was screaming downstairs, and the smell of smoke was drifting through the air. The sound of shots being fired all over whizzed around him. One crashed through the window, catching Ron's bed on fire, and made Hermione scream and duck. Harry jumped up right as Ron appeared at his left, getting a bag of clothes and food ready from under his bed before it could burn.

"What's going on?" he asked, but Hermione only grabbed him and moved him away from the window.

"We're being attacked," Ron shouted over the noise. "We have to leave!"

Hermione handed all of them their brooms and led the way to the hall. Ron jumped in front of her, though, and gave her the bag to hold instead of him. They all had wands up and ready as they entered the war zone.

Ron instantly blocked a burst of power heading right at them and they all dashed down the stairs. Harry got the next attack, repelling it back at the Death eater shooting from the kitchen. Molly was close-by fighting off two attackers that were soaring around the room.

"Get out of here!" She cried before an attack made her collapse to the ground.

Ron dove for her, but Harry held him back. "We have to go!" he screamed at him and shoved him for the back door.

There was a whiz of power by them and the Death Eater appeared so close to Harry so suddenly that he froze. The villain was just a second away from knocking him out cold from a flick of his wrist, but something collided with him from behind. It was Fred, tackling the man in only his pajama shorts and no shirt. There was a burn mark as a result on his bare chest, but he still held the man's arm flat on the ground, trying to wrestle the wand from him. Hermione quickly disarmed him and another power shot knocked the Death Eater out. Arthur pulled his son off the man to which George helped him stand up straight.

"Get the kids out of here," he ordered to the twins and shoved them for the back door.

The boys turned back as all of the remaining windows shattered with pulsing flames from outside. Mr. Weasley was caught in the middle of the flames as Death Eaters started emerging from the shadows. Instead of trying to get out with them, he blocked the boys off with a wall of flames of his own. "Run!" he shouted weakly. "Run… and don't stop!"

Hermione had to tug Ron for the door where the twins stood waiting, but Harry couldn't move. He was staring at the Death Eater on the floor. So many times they had appeared in front of him like that, silently and effortlessly. He didn't know why, but, for some reason, when it happened just now, he didn't see the older man about to kill him, but Draco.

It was Hermione who pulled him back into reality again. They jumped for the door and ran into the open without stopping. The sky was still black and the air numbing cold from being so early. The only way they could see was because of the light from the flames that were starting to rise up in the house behind them and the bolts of power shooting down at the house from below. Balls of fire and bursts of power came from every direction, across the yard, up from the sky, and just all around them that it was just one large blur. They were clearly trying to drive Harry out because the moment they stepped outside, the attackers were all in a line, waiting. As rushed as he was, the first thing he did was search the crowd for the short blonde.

The twins, taking the lead, quickly knocked away the attacks while Ron and Hermione tried to strike the Death Eaters themselves. Harry was gripping his broom in one hand and wand so tight in the other that his knuckles were white. He was even stumbling over his own feet.

What the bloody hell was he doing?

He forced himself to run straight and tugged Ron and Hermione to the side, so they ran in a new direction. Instead of running straight at their attackers, they crossed the house toward the hill where they could fly off safely. They called out to the twins, but they only glanced back and stopped. They shot after them, blasting away the attackers trying to get to the teens, but they didn't follow.

Hermione and Ron mounted their brooms, ready to leave without them if they had to, but Harry faced the other way. He took off back toward the house, rounding too close to the flames for comfort and dove down for the twins. He got both Death Eaters that were beating down on the twins in one stroke and curved back to his friends.

"Hermione, get their brooms!" he ordered and flew past them in a flash. He went soaring by all the attackers who continued to shoot at the house. As he tried to stop them, he realized their shots either missed him by a long shot, or they were aimed at just his friends.

They weren't trying to…attack _him_?

Harry almost fell off his broom. If they were going for his friends, then it was all of his nightmares come true. He curved around faster than before, the wind piercing his skin like shards of ice as he turned and gave each attacker their own strong whip to the head. Yet, one recoiled and got Harry at the end of his broom. The front dug hard into the dirt and made Harry go flipping and colliding hard into the unforgiving hillside. He landed flat on his back, the wind getting knocked right the bloody hell out of him. He choked on a cough for a second until Ron forced him up. The sight of blood on the ginger's face was enough to make Harry stumble to his feet. He grabbed his broom, although it was probably trashed-he couldn't see well in the dim firelight.

When the rest of the group caught up to them, he saw it was only Hermione and George. Harry couldn't question it. There were already a lot of bodies lying on the ground, dead or just knocked out, but he couldn't name them all. They were all about to leave before Ron stopped and said, "Ginny!" Yet, no one answered. The house was already fully ablaze and her, as well as his parents, were nowhere to be seen.

George blocked a few shots coming at them and shoved them all forward. "Go! Go!"

Just dodging the last of the Death eater's attacks, they all jumped back on their brooms and took off. They barely got anywhere before the attackers in the sky were hot on their tail. It was hard to shoot and fly, but they made it somewhat possible. Ron flew close to Hermione since she had injured her hand somehow and had to hold onto the bag and the broom with one hand. Harry took the other side of her while George covered the front and the back the best he could, swiveling around if he needed to.

The Death Eaters came from everywhere, shooting at everyone **but** Harry. He watched carefully at the angle of the attackers' arms and could tell who they were going to hit. It was odd, but he saw they were shooting mostly at George, who was trying hard to dodge, block, and protect the kids as much as he could.

They all took a sharp right, to try and throw them off only to be blinded by a blanket of clouds. The shooting stopped if just for a moment and only the sound of the wind rushing through their ears filled the silence. They all lowered their wands and tried to catch their breath as fast as they could. They looked around them in the small moments of clearing to see no attackers anywhere around. It was nowhere near peaceful in such silence. The situation was actually entirely frightening-to go from almost dying ever possible second, to utter calmness and quiet, like it was over just like that, or about to restart all over again.

George pulled in front and looked back at them all. "I know where they won't be able to find us! Stick together and head to the-"

In the next instant, a Death Eater appeared from the clouds and crashed into him head-on with a burst of power between them. Hermione screamed and the boys swerved out of the way as they tumbled and fell far down into the darkness. Hermione and Harry stared into the blackness as it swallowed them faster than a blink of an eye, but Ron showed no remorse for the moment. He stared right into the splitting clouds and was ready for the Death Eater that came barreling at him. He just barely pulled to the side and socked his fist into the guy's face, sending him falling to the blackness as well.

"U-Up!" Harry eventually called, and together they pulled up above the clouds.

The attackers followed where Harry and Ron sent hit after hit until the three men fell off their broomsticks. Yet, the moment they were gone, a dozen took their place and circled the kids. They knocked down the ones they could before they spotted lights below them. The town was slightly alive with normal life and would make a good cover for the meanwhile.

Seeing the determination on Ron's face earlier made something in Harry tighten just a bit. This was _his_ fault. _He_ needed to take responsibility. Leading the way, he charged right through two Death Eaters, barely averting the spell that flew by his temple. He heard two groans and was relieved to see his friends following him and not the men in black.

They dove down-far down into the city until they were flying down the street. Lights blinded them, horns and voices raged in their ears to the point where they couldn't think straight anymore. Harry turned into an alleyway and they began to soar through the back roads. There was shooting, screaming, and numerous incantations. Pieces of buildings were getting blown out, sparks were flying beside them, all until there were two fierce sparks that made Hermione's and Ron's shout ring in Harry's ears.

He looked back to see his friends falling right for cement ground. Ron smacked off the building wall before he landed in Hermione's spell-bound net. It took away the impact of the fall before they crashed. There were three Death Eaters before Harry, blocking his way but not attacking. They were playing with him, circling around him and _laughing_ as his friends were lying still below him. He made eye contact with each one before he bolted down. They were right on him, of course, sending three bolts of power crossing him for a direct hit. Harry blocked one, but the other smacked the back of his shoulder, and the third hit the side of his broom, knocking him into one of the Death Eaters. Harry tried to regain his balance and somehow he had the black robe in his hand. So he used the momentum to throw the man into the other and knocked the third back into the city.

Harry lowered himself the best he could and found Hermione by Ron's side. She was slapping his closed eyes and shouting at him since the gash on his head was only bleeding more. She was hunched over because her other hand was….well, it didn't even look like a hand. Harry could only guess it was shocked by an attack or she landed on it wrong when she fell because it was a bloody mess with a sliver of white showing.

Somehow Harry called up some water and dumped it on Ron's face, snapping him awake and smearing the blood. He gasped awake to which Hermione frantically hugged him. Harry was relieved as well, but there wasn't any time to waste. He fixed the brooms with the best spell he could think of and practically threw it on them.

Yet, neither of them flew off. They stood there as Hermione held her wand in the air. It took her a second to remember, then she muttered something and they were suddenly in a field of grass. The city was still in the distance, gleaming and looking pretty eerie from their situation. Ron was still disoriented and coming back to reality and Hermione was clinging to her hand, trying not to cry anymore than she had.

"Where do they keep coming from?" Ron asked at the sound of the moving attackers somewhere close by.

In between breaths, Hermione answered frantically, "It's a spell. It's like they're teleporting."

"Doesn't matter," Harry panted as he searched around them. "_We_ need to teleport and disappear **now**. Where can we go?"

"It has to be somewhere no one else knows about. Somewhere _hidden_-"

"We can't stand here and talk!" Harry snapped. "They could kill us in any second. We need to-"

Before he could finish, there was a blur of black whizzing between them and Hermione screaming. When it passed, they saw the Death eater soaring away, dangling Hermione by her injured hand.

"Hermione!" Ron didn't even hesitate. He jumped on his broom and took off after her, throwing bolt after bolt to get her free.

"Ron, no!" Harry screamed, but the red hair was already fading away in the darkness. Harry had started to mount his broom when he heard it-the familiar noise of a vanishing spell and feet sliding upon the ground after flying around in a blur for so long.

"Poor, Harry Potter." The icy voice made Harry actually freeze.

He didn't want to look at the man, but it was even more dangerous to keep his back to him. He faced the snake and saw Lucius looking even more cynical in the lack of light. His white hair gleamed in the city's lights and the way his dark eyes flickered brought up memories that struck painfully inside Harry.

"You're pathetic," Lucius scolded. "Look how many people you've killed. All because you are too afraid to fight-"

"I'm not afraid!" Harry forced the words out, but he could hardly stand from trembling so hard and the last blow to his head was making him see doubles of the Death Eater.

Lucius just clicked his tongue, disappointed. "Did you think it'd be easy? We even _warned_ you and you still tremble like a coward. What did you think would happen? You got your parents killed all those years ago and now you're going to do the same to the ones around you-"

"No!" Harry said, but it didn't take long to realize he sounded as if he was about to cry. "I'd never….."

Lucius tilted his head to the side and stuck his bottom lip out, as if feeling sorry for him. "Poor, poor, Potter…. What do you say… I end it now? Get no one else killed? If you keep running… who knows _who_ will get killed next…."

Harry could feel it coming, the sweet relief that would come after the power would hit him. And he knew he should block it, a quick spell to counter it, then jump on his broom and get away as fast as he could. It was wrong, he was going to **die**-

But then… the others would live. Unlike his parents, they wouldn't have to run and hide…. If he just…..

There was the millisecond realization of his choice. When the bolt of green power from Lucius's wand was inches before him, he realized that if he died, his friends _would_ have to keep running. If he died, Voldemort would win and he'd take over. He'd kill _everyone_-

But it was too late. It was already in his eyes, burning at him like a permanent reminder of his pain. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how badly it burned, the last thing he saw before the spell…was Draco.

The next thing Harry knew, he was face down in the dirt, eyes burning and wand knocked out of his hand. His glasses were about to fall off and his chest was throbbing-not from taking a hit from a forbidden spell, but as if he had just been punched. Harry quickly turned, expecting to see Lucius. Instead, he saw the long end of a cloak.

The spell was slowly fading away as was the smoke before the head master to which Lucius just glared. "Get up, Harry," Dumbledore said firmly, eyes not moving from the Death Eater before him.

Harry immediately listened, feeling foolish for giving in to the words from the sinister man before him. He raised his wand, ready to fight, but Dumbledore immediately covered him. Harry was going to deny it until something hissed behind him. A Death Eater landed swiftly from mid-air, then another. Soon they were completely surrounded by the wizards in black. None of them armed, but all smiling and deadly. Harry got back to back with the old man before Dumbledore snatched his wrist. It took Harry a second to realize his wand was being ripped from him.

"I can fight!" Harry argued as he stole his wand back.

"This isn't your battle to part-take in," Dumbledore snapped. His voice actually sounded rugged-hoarse from the commotion and anxious with fear. He shoved Harry back away from the crowd of Death Eaters and murmured some spell Harry didn't recognize. He then faced Lucius who no longer looked angry, but rather amused. "Lucius, here, needs to remove his wand from where it doesn't belong."

The Death Eater actually laughed. "Oh, trust me, Albus. I will."

That's when Dumbledore took notice of the movement in the crowd, how the nearby Death Eaters were starting to split in half, moving out of the way for someone-someone he knew all too well. Instantly, he turned and sent a whip of power slapping away any nearby Death Eaters. In the next whip, he slapped Harry far back into the gap of land.

Harry didn't even get the chance to get his breath back. The second he landed, a fierce grip snatched the back of his shirt and ripped him up into the air. He was choked only for a second by his own shirt and was blinded for a minute to their sudden speed. As fast as it started, it ended when the grip released him and he landed on the thick piece of wood. His own broom, he realized as he kept himself from falling off, and it was charmed to keep flying no matter hard he tried to get it to stop.

Beside him was Ron, flying with one hand as Hermione clung to him, sitting unevenly on his lap. In his solemn eyes was a look of hurt and fear, silently apologizing, but Harry couldn't accept it. He frantically searched the crowd behind him before it could fade away. He saw the crowd entirely split and moving around the one man in white as one in black approached, one looking so vile and above everyone else that it _had_ to be him.

There was hardly a pause before Harry saw the flash of green envelope Dumbledore. As if he wasn't certain enough, there was the slightest sound, a distant shriek that was so abrupt and agonizing that Harry, in turn, screamed back.

"No!" He then turned and started smacking spell after spell to his own broom, trying to gain control again, but it only sent him jerking around wildly in the air.

Ron was shouting at him for a while until Hermione finally snapped, "Harry! It isn't going to work!"

Only by meeting her red eyes did he realize it. But before he could take it in, something hit his arm and it spread like wildfire. Such a burning sensation going from his fore arm up to his chest and spreading to every inch of his body. It burned to the point where it felt like his skin was shriveling up and falling off, and it hurt so bad that he had to let go of his broom. Something hit his broom, purposely instead of him, to where he flipped forward and went falling straight for the blackness. Thanks to the spell, the broom stick came forcing its way under Harry's arm, barely keeping him up and still flying fast in the same direction.

Ron was screaming something and trying to grab him, but he couldn't with Hermione in the way. Harry was dangling backwards, watching the blackness swirl around him as he tried to stay up-but he was still burning, everything hurting so badly that his eyes were tearing up and he could no longer feel his fingers or toes.

That's when he saw it, the mix of black in the darkness ahead of him. It was moving fast and slithering like a snake among the stars-coming right at him. He knew without seeing that it was Him, finally coming for him. He could see his disgustingly long fingers holding the wand of his old headmaster and using it to capture him, or kill him, if not anything worse.

Just when it happened, just as the spell came barreling at him, already tingling his skin, there was a flash of white-

And everything stopped.

There was no more wind from the rushing broom, even the broom itself was gone. The burning was gone, leaving his body smoldering without a single burn mark. Also, it was so quiet. No more shouting, no more spells, just…silence.

Harry was lying down, he eventually realized, in a patch of grass. For a moment he thought he was dead, lying there and staring up at the stars as they ever so slowly rotated above him, and for a moment he missed Hogwarts. He missed the homework, the laughs in class with his friends, and the secrets that laid behind closed doors-God damn how he wanted to open those doors again right this minute, to run into his arms like nothing bad had ever happened-

But it did. He came back to reality when the red hair blocked his view of the stars. Hogwarts, his home, it was all gone. There was no more happiness, no more love. The rest of the Weasleys were gone as far as he knew, and Dumbledore-

"Harry? Can you hear me?" Ron was staring straight into his eyes, but Harry wasn't looking at him-not really. He was still trying to picture the memories that laid in the stars behind his head.

"Yeah…" He responded dully, with absolutely no other emotion other than exhaustion.

Ron tried to get him to sit up, but Harry gave no effort. He didn't want to try anymore. He just wanted it to be done and over with. Ron gave a sigh and looked around them. "Do you know where we are?"

Harry only turned his head to the side and saw a harsh cliff side. Fog surrounded the rest of the hills and none of it registered in his mind. Ron took his answer from Harry's silence and coughed. "I-I don't know what happened. We were flying… then someone transported us, I think. It's all so bloody confusing."

"It makes sense," Harry knew it was Hermione speaking, but her voice didn't sound right. She looked almost like him, no longer caring, but injured and weak. She was wiping away her old tear with her good hand. "Judging by where we are and that Harry's curse is gone, I think someone saved us."

"Had to be Dumbledore," Ron said quickly as he rubbed his side in pain. "I mean, he was there. He made us keep flying, so he must've-"

"He's dead." Harry said it so fast he didn't believe it was him at first. A warmth spread from his chest and gave him the energy to sit up. He couldn't identify it, but it was such a painful feeling, one that gave him a reason to move instead of lying there to die.

Ron and Hermione looked at him with wide eyes, finding the words just as surreal. So Harry repeated it, "He's dead. Voldemort killed him when you saved me. He's dead, so he didn't save us-No one did. They're all dead!" Harry knew he was shouting, panicking, and losing everything all at once, but he no longer cared. Dumbledore was dead. Everyone was dying now. Because of him, because they won't let him fight, they're trying to save him and killing themselves-

Ron was trying his best to hold back tears while Hermione's eyes fluttered and she went completely limp. Ron was instantly at her side as she passed out, but Harry only sat there. Tears lined his eyes, but they couldn't fall. They only reflected the stars that he stared at, wondering who had "saved" them, and when they were going to die as well.

…**...**

Draco had to look away then. After watching the bowl of water for so long, he couldn't watch any further when Harry started to cry. It was too painful. Since the beginning he had used a spell to watch Harry ever since the house was attacked. He wasn't even allowed to watch, but he couldn't-just _couldn't_ let Him capture him. It just wasn't real in his mind, so he had interfered and transferred them where no one knew, not even themselves. Watching Dumbledore hurt to watch, but seeing Harry's pain struck a nerve that took his breath away.

He was turning away from it, to try and get his breath back before the others returned. Yet, as he turned, a hand flew across his face, sending him crashing into the wall. Draco drew his wand immediately, but the sight of his father made every muscle in his body go numb. Lucius whipped the wand away fiercely and practically spat in his face.

"Do you think I'm bloody stupid?" He asked and raised his hand again only to watch Draco flinch under him. "After discovering your…_affiliations _with that boy, did you think I'd really allow you to use your powers again?"

Draco said nothing as his father walked by and examined the bowl of water. "You best be thankful. I haven't told the Dark Lord. My own son, betraying everyone for that infidel-"

"You're wrong-" The second he opened his mouth he received another slap; this one being so hard that it knocked him to the ground.

"Pathetic." He snapped before peering into the water. He went silent for a minute, before his tense shoulders relaxed and he actually started to chuckle. "Maybe I will mention this to the Dark Lord." Draco felt his heart drop to his toes, knowing the only consequence that would result from such a thing and having that happen-having the torture of never seeing Harry again…

It was unbearable.

His father faced him with the bowl in his hand. He poured it out in front of his son, letting the last bit of the spell run before him like a water fall. It was only a glimpse of what he last saw. Harry was walking into the trees with Ron, toward the distant house they saw, while Hermione was passed out in his arms. Yet, instead of the sore, green eyes that held so much knowledge and innocence, Draco saw the muggle's replacement open her eyes to a dark black-eyes that held so much dark magic it was irradiating off her body invisible to the boys' sight.

Draco wanted to whisk away to the basement, to the cellars where the metal cage sat empty, and wanted to see it for himself. To see if the girl in the water was really there or not, but his hand was empty. His wand was hidden in his father's robe who purposely covered it as he walked away.

"If you want to act like an animal, I'll treat you like one."

Draco stood up, but made no motion to run out the door. He could only stand there as it shut before him, locking him in powerless and alone until the results of his action would bring on such bloody consequences…..

**I can't apologize enough for taking so long. I finally figured out the plot. I don't expect a lot of feed back for making you guys wait so long. I'm sorry and plan on finishing this soon now that I got it done. XP hope its good. Till my next update.**


	13. Shatter me and Throw Away the Pieces

The safe house was dully lit and very simple. Small quarters, old couches and chairs, but a cupboard that magically refilled with food every time they opened it. So amid the silence, they all sat in a circle, eating but nowhere near speaking. Hermione had woken up after a while and Ron was by her side, trying to assist her in sitting up and eating, but she refused his help.

"Are you feeling better?" Harry asked quietly after an unsteady moment. Hermione quietly nodded and ate by herself. "Good… Then, do you mind?"

Hermione only stared when he pointed to his shattered glasses on the table. Ron tried to smile. "We couldn't remember the spell…since you always did it."

Hermione gave both boys a queer glance, a little puzzled and bitter. "What are you talking about? I don't know a stupid spell like that."

There was a minute of realization and Ron looked to Harry in bewilderment. "You always fix my glasses, Hermione."

She slowly looked herself over, then messed with her hair. "I guess… I can't remember. _Sorry_."

There was something in her voice that sounded so far off that Harry found it hard to grasp any honesty. Even when she looked away, the look in her eyes made Harry set an alarm ringing in the back of his mind. His fingers were suddenly tingling, trying to tell him something he was unsure off. Yet, he shrugged it off and made Ron to do the same. "It was a nasty ride… We all just need to relax."

While Ron started to talk closer with Hermione, Harry got up and moved into kitchen. He took his pathetic excuse for glasses and gently placed them into the cupboard. It was a long shot, but he closed the door, tapped it with his wand, and reopened it. He should've been happy to see his glasses repaired, but seeing his exhausted, sad expression in the reflection was nothing to smile about.

Dumbledore was dead. Only Merlin-knew what happened to the other Weasleys and their other friends. In just a few days, everything had fallen apart. One moment he was dancing and the next he was almost caught on fire. Now everyone was running and screaming and _dying_. So many were dying.

Harry quickly closed his eyes and shook off that image. He could see himself dancing with Draco all over again, the light gleaming around them, the canopy covered in moonlight-but in the next he could see the same boy he loved so much, held so dear, burning alive before him. Or getting shot down by Voldemort's wand the same as Cedric Digory had. Because of him. They were dying-he was going to die because of _him_-

Harry slammed the cupboard door shut right as something in the other room shattered. Harry threw his glasses on, ran into the other room, and pulled out his wand all in the same motion. He expected to see Hermione being held hostage or Ron shot dead on the floor in a room full of Death Eaters. Instead, he saw Ron standing up and Hermione with her head in her hands, and a broken glass on the floor.

"Just leave me alone!" Hermione snapped, only to hide her face again.

Ron looked to Harry again in astonishment. "W-We were talking about Dumbledore…" he whispered once he approached his best friend.

Harry looked Hermione over. Really, there was something off about her. He noticed it as she covered her eyes and mouthed something. But that wasn't right. She must've been gasping or something. There was no way she could have said something like that.

_I'm glad…_

"I'm sorry," Hermione finally said, her voice back to being soft and feminine. She sounded far past exhaustion. "I'm just…tired of all of this."

Harry pulled Ron back to the couch, setting him in a nearby chair and placing himself across from Hermione. "Yeah. We all are."

"It's all right, Hermione. It'll get better." Ron went to move closer to her, but Harry quickly shook his head. Confused, Ron pulled away.

It went quiet for a while. The entire time Harry studied his friends.

They were the only people had left. Everyone was fighting for him and everyone was dying. The whole world was going to die because of him-_Draco_ could die because of him. The man he considered a second father had already died. His two closest friends were the only thing he had left. The man who killed his parents was threatening to end the human world and he was going to kill his closest friends if he was given the chance.

Now Harry was getting the feeling that chance was already taken.

"Hermione," he spoke up quickly. "How long have you been dating Ron?"

Slowly, both friends looked at him. "Excuse me?" she said a little sourly.

Ron shook his head. "Mate, what are you-"

"I really can't remember. I'm just wondering." When Harry waited for Hermione to answer, she held her jaw open in shock.

She laughed a little uneasy and shook her head. "Harry, it's unimportant-It's bloody ridiculous to be talking about such things-"

"I just want to know," Harry interrupted. He spoke quickly and with a tone as if he was muddled by something, but clearly leading up to something. "I don't know. It's just…. Something to take our minds off of everything."

Hermione scoffed, still surprised, and looked away. "I've lost count. You figure it out-"

"Why don't you know?"

Ron quickly stood up. "Eight and a half months. Are you happy?"

But Harry went on. "How did it happen? Do you remember what Ron said to you?"

Hermione's face twisted. She looked upset and cornered. "Harry, it's…"

"Back off, mate. She doesn't want to talk about it."

"I just want her to answer me," Harry said defensively, keeping Ron back when he approached him.

"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked. "Just drop it-"

"How long ago , Hermione?"

"He just said-"

"Then when was your first kiss? How long have we've been friends? How did we become friends?"

"Why do you want to know?!"

But the bickering continued. Ron was starting to get heated and he even gave Harry a shove, but Harry kept over Hermione, questioning her although she had turned away. The questions rambled on until Hermione finally snapped.

"Why?" She shouted fiercely, back on her toes. "Because you miss that _pussy_ Malfoy boy?"

Ron pulled away in shock while Harry's fury burned. His wand was still firmly in hand from when he entered the room. His gaze was locked with Hermione's until Ron got between them.

"Hermione, what's gotten into-"

Suddenly, Hermione jerked her arm up wildly, flinging a spell at both boys so fast that Ron just barely missed it. Harry was prepared, and he reflected the spell right back at her, watching the sparks fly as it knocked her to the ground. Ron shouted, but Harry dragged him back.

"Ron, no! Stop! Look at her!"

She had gotten back up on one knee across the room. There was a little smoke, but as it cleared, they saw it. The brown hair burned into a midnight black, while her body stretched a little taller and morphed differently. She was wearing Hermione's jacket and white blouse, but when she looked at the boys, her eyes were soulless and black.

Harry held up his wand defensively as the merciless Death Eater stood up tall. Her terrifying laughter made all the lights in the house flicker. "Expecting someone else?" Bellatrix mocked cruelly. "You can't even tell the difference between your mud blood girlfriend and a real wizard?"

Ron cursed under his breath and lifted his wand, but Harry smacked it down. "Where's Hermione?" It was not a question. There was a new boldness in Harry's tone-one that was fed up with the tricks and the cruelty and the deaths. He was demanding an end to it all.

But the witch only laughed again, louder this time. "Your mud blood is in my playpen." She tilted her head back a little, letting her tongue flick out dramatically on every syllable. "And I plan on giving her some…special attention later."

Ron jumped again, but Harry kept him still. "Don't you _dare_-"

"Oh, but I do, you pathetic boy. I plan on playing with her… and tearing off her skin limb by limb and letting her bleed all over the floor like the filthy mud blood she is!" Her rising terror grew into another fit of laughter to which Harry had to keep Ron from charging at her. He was so blinded by rage that he didn't even think to use his wand. But Bellatrix wasn't making any moves either. She was taunting with her eyes wild and feral and a voice lingering and cold. Right now, such a cold gaze pierced Harry right to the core. "Don't worry," she said slowly. "Malfoy will get to play, too. Right to the very end."

Harry didn't have a chance to even begin thinking about her threat. Power snapped from Bellatrix's wand in a great green burst to which Harry knocked aside. In the process, Bellatrix threw both arms up, forcing the power out from under her and back into the wall. There was a terrible crash, then a small explosion that sent both boys crashing to the floor. The wall crumbled into pieces and the house creaked with threats to give in. All while the witch's laugh echoed outside.

Immediately, Ron tried to get up. "No!"

"Ron!" Harry tried to drag him back from the debris-covered floor.

"No, Harry. She has Hermione!"

The redhead tried to fight, but Harry wrestled him back to the ground. Ron punched him in the shoulder to which Harry kneed him in the gut. There was a moment of pain, then a minute of stillness.

Harry sat up and pinned Ron down slightly, making sure he listened carefully. There was pain in his eyes, but strictness in his voice. "I want her back, too, Ron, trust me. But we got to think ahead! She only told us this and left. Don't you see? It's a trap. We can't go rushing in-"

"They're going to kill her!"

"Not yet." Harry said carefully. "They can't kill her yet. They need her as leverage to draw us in. They're making us come to them…."

After a second of staring, he stood up and held his hand out to Ron. Silently, he took it and made himself stand. Harry stared at the hole in the wall until something caught his eye. Sadly, he stepped over and picked up Hermione's original wand from the floor.

Slowly it added up. "She said a playpen, like a cage, with D-Draco…"

"Malfoy Manner," Ron answered coldly as he looked at the wand in his friend's hand.

Despite the pinch of pain in his chest, Harry swallowed down the confusion and thought. They weren't going in there to die. No, no one else was going to die. Not Ron, not Hermione. Especially not him….

The thoughts clicked together and Harry faced Ron. "We're ending it, Ron," he said directly. The boys met gazes and the tension was too much to handle. "It's a lot to ask of you… and we could be killed… But we have to.. For Hermione. For everyone."

Harry silently handed out the wand to which Ron glanced at, then accepted it-along with the risk. "They're waiting for our move," Harry said as he looked at the hole in the wall. "So let's go…."

…**...**

Draco tried to stop pacing the room. How long had he been locked up in there? It was almost a complete day by now. So that meant Harry had slept through the morning. Which meant Bellatrix killed him in his sleep. No, she couldn't, he was Voldemort's, but not yet. So the passed hours meant that she's exposed herself to them and they were going to come here-

Draco planted his feet down so he stopped moving and covered his face. No, Harry wasn't that stupid. He wouldn't come walking into a death trap. He would know better. He would definitely know better. He had to. He just had to….

The sudden click made Draco whirl around. The heavy metal door opened and his father stood ominously in the doorway. For a moment there was silence where the glares were evenly matched. Up till Lucius stepped aside and the hissing filled the room. Draco barely choked on a gasp before there was the flash of green. An unbelievable weight knocked him in the chest, stealing his breath, and he hit the ground.

He didn't even know how it happened. When he tried to breathe again, the weight only tightened and he began to suffocate. The room was spinning and the hissing was right in his ear. He tried to move and found himself paralyzed with that intense weight constricting him in place. The snake was wrapped around him from head to toe, keeping him lying on his side and facing the door.

He could see his father standing in the corner and he wanted to shout, but the second he saw the black cloth and bare feet, he forced his head completely away. Nagini's vicious jaw was right there to greet him, the yellow slits burning him right to the core. But Draco couldn't decided if he'd rather watch himself die by getting eaten alive by a snake or staring into the soulless eyes of the Dark Lord as he shot him down.

He could see the bare feet stop beside him, the cloth flying like the dark power he possessed.

"My dear Draco," the wicked voice hissed from before him. "Do lift your head. You have done nothing wrong."

But Draco couldn't look up. Not at first. He closed his eyes, head still turned away until Nagini nipped at him, almost taking off his nose, and making him jerk away.

Draco slowly looked back up although the sight of the Dark Lord towering above him in such a small room, when everything he had kept hidden was now exposed, was terrifying enough to make him tremble.

Nagini loosened a little and Draco sucked in the largest breath he had ever taken. He watched the ugly feet glide pass, as _his_ voice hissed around him. "I was told of a little…. Disturbance."

Just like that, Draco felt himself dying. If he knew-If the Dark Lord knew-then they were all as good as dead. He was about ready to fight out of the snake's grip and take off running as fast as he could, but he could hardly move as it was. There was no way he'd make it two steps before he was killed. All he could do was close his eyes, seeing that shade of burnette and beautiful gold, and brace himself.

However, the shot never came. Instead, Voldemort said. "Albus… is dead."

It took Draco a minute, but he looked up and saw the familiar wand in those long, disgusting fingers. Something in him wrenched.

"I had Harry Potter…right in my hands, as well… But…someone deliberately disobeyed me."

Draco felt his ribs on the verge of cracking as the snake constricted, then felt his organs ready to burst as the snake forced him to roll over and scrunch together into an awkward kneeling position. He could hardly breathe as his lungs were crushed against his ribs, and he could feel the edges of his toes and fingers start to tingle with numbness. Even with the pain, a part of Draco was relieved. As long as their affair was still hidden-As long as Harry was still alive, he could deal with the pain.

The cold touch of a wand under his chin made him obediently raise his head. The Lord's eyes were colder than death and Draco could smell fresh blood and pure hatred on his skin. "You wouldn't betray me…my poor Draco."

Draco's eyes flashed to his father who stood in the doorway behind the Dark Lord. His unforgiving face made something in Draco's chest harden. He looked back and sat between tight lips, "No, never… my Lord." His breathing was hitched and it sounded uneasy due to his choking.

Voldemort pressed his wand into Draco's throat a bit tighter as he opened his mouth and gazed at him. But after a still minute he released it, and hissed, "Then prove it."

Nagini released him fast, making his dead weight hit the ground hard. He caught his breath and didn't get up till the Dark lord left the room, calling his snake after him. Draco slowly got to his knees, then smacked off the hands that had forcefully grabbed him. He couldn't curse at his father, but he could sure as hell give him the coldest glare he'd ever given in his life before walking away.

He stormed into the hall where Snape and another Death Eater were waiting. Draco was too heated to wait for his father and the rattled teacher seemed to have no patience to get where they needed to. Snape turned and Draco followed down three halls and two flights of stairs down into the cellars. Even before they reached the last floor, Draco could hear it. The screams of pain, high pitched and sobbing.

A girl was being tortured.

And if he was right, he knew exactly who it was.

Draco was first into the row of cellars to see the black figure hanging over the flailing and screaming girl. Bellatrix was singing something slow and dark with the girl's screams before shouting, "I can't hear you, filthy mud blood!"

"Bellatrix!" Lucius snapped. The witch turned her head and Draco formed a knot in his gut at the sight of Hermione's face underneath her. Half of it was swollen and bloody, her arm was a massive stretch of blood. It looked like the witch was trying to peel her skin off inch by inch, starting with the sensitive part of her inner elbow.

Bellatrix started to laugh and dug her wand in deeper, making Hermione flail and scream again, but Lucius smacked the metal bars, making her flinch to a stop. At the same time, another voice shouted, "Don't touch her!"

Draco had to walk to the next cell over and shine his wand into the darkness. The ginger was perched against the far corner, clinging to the bars in Hermione's direction. Upon the sight of Draco, Ron fixed his glare on him. Draco immediately searched the rest of the cells, but found them empty. "Where's Potter?" he tried to sound spiteful, but his eyes remained hopeful.

Ron continued to glare as Snape appeared behind Draco. "I came alone. For Hermione. Harry doesn't even know I left."

Draco snorted. "Of course. A weasley like you going around and screwing things up."

A creak made Draco look away to see Bellatrix coming out of the cell, leaving behind the limp body and mess of brown hair covering Hermione's face. Ron instantly fidgeted around, trying to see her. "Hermione? Hermione answer me!"

Draco tried to read his expression very carefully. Was he lying? Was Harry actually somewhere safe? Or was he somewhere alone and vulnerable? Was this just a trick? It was hard to tell, but the desperation and fear in his voice as he called for the silent girl was definitely true.

The next thing Draco knew, the gate to Ron's cell was opening. The ginger immediately stood, but he didn't charge nor even speak. He merely stood his ground, waiting for what was coming at him. Draco watched his father stand beside him in the doorway, wand open and out stretched. Could he really watch his father kill his lover's best friend without even trying to stop him? Even though his chest tightened, his thought was the same.

At least it wasn't Harry.

Yet, Lucius never fired. Not even Bellatrix, who stood impatiently behind them, lifted her wand. Draco looked to his father and back at her, then back to Ron, who only glared. Although, the silence was too unsettling to go unseen. Soon, Draco figured it out. Lucius lowered his wand and looked to his son. Draco's breath got caught in his throat.

"Come on, Draco," Bellatrix hissed. "Give him a _good_ one."

Draco had to do his best to keep his eyes from widening. A _good_ one? They want him to use-

_No._ Draco looked down to his wand and remembered all the animals he had killed using that spell. Using it on Ron…. Himself being the one to kill his lover's best friend…

_Oh God._

"**C'mon**, Draco."

"Are you loyal or not?"

"Of course!" Draco had to snap, but he couldn't look back into the ginger's eyes.

"Then _do it_."

Draco stared at his wand. If he killed Ron… "Killing them won't do any good. Potter won't come in the end."

"He'll have to," Bellatrix hissed impatiently. "To avenge them. Seeing such a small fragile boy lose his sanity after getting his friends killed, it's his most vulnerable point."

Draco gave his father a glance, who was watching him with very cruel, very cold eyes. They terrified Draco as much as looking back at Bellatrix. They wanted him to do it…so easily. So easy, they thought it was. But Draco knew that his father was testing him. If he was truly loyal, he wouldn't have had that affair with Harry, he wouldn't have helped him escape, and if he was truly loyal, he'd kill Harry's best friend, right here and right now. If he was truly loyal, Voldemort wouldn't have to kill him in front of his own father and mother, and everything would go as planned.

Draco started to lift his wand. If he just proved he was loyal, he could live longer to help Harry-

"No!" Hermione's voice cracked on her cry, but it was enough to make Draco jump out of his skin. Her face was a bloody mess, her hair stuck to her face from dried blood and tears staining her cheeks and running to the floor. "Do-Don't do it," she begged. "Don't… D-Draco, _please_-"

"Shut it, you filthy mud blood!"

"Come on, Draco-"

"No! Please!"

"I said, shut it before I-"

There were too many things to focus on. Everyone was suddenly shouting, begging, hissing. There was so much blood and hate, and there was too much at risk to run away from it. Draco couldn't stand to see his father's judging, cold eyes, but he couldn't bear to see Hermione's heart-wrenching gaze piercing through him as well.

"Draco, don't, please. You don't have to-"

"Silence or I will silence you!"

"You're not like them!"

"Ooh, I'm going to enjoy this."

"Don't touch her!"

Draco turned on Bellatrix and before he knew it, he was shutting the cage door before her. "No!" his voice echoed. "I'm Harry's closet connection, right? Then his friends are _mine_." He turned back on Ron, approaching the ginger quickly before he was too scared to back down. "And I will prove my loyalty to the Dark Lord." Ron only tightened his gaze on the blonde before the fear swelled his eyes at the sight of Draco's wand.

Draco hesitated for only a moment before he moved. "Even if I have to make it _very clear_."

And in the next instant he flicked his wrist and shouted one of the only unforgivable curses that should never be used….

**Okay, I need to apologize for the long wait but theres no way to make up for it unless I make a really good ending! The next chapter will be the last unless I can squeeze it an extra scene somewhere. Excuse any mistakes please and Ill update sooner. Till next time.**


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